CHRISTCHURCH – October 14 (ONLINE) Pakistan on Friday defeated New Zealand by 5 wickets to bag tri-nation Twenty20 Series, Bangladesh being the third team.
All rounder Muhammad Nawaz once again proved to be the difference between two teams as he struck decisive 38* of 22, accompanied by Haidar Ali (31) and Iftikhar Ahmed (25*).
Chasing 164 against the runners-up of last year’s World Cup, Pakistan’s middle order came good to secure victory with three balls to spare and clinch the tri-series.
Earlier, the Blackcaps lost both their openers in the first six powerplay overs though they continued to score at a healthy rate.
Skipper Kane Williamson was the only batter with a tangible 59 runs’ innings. Glenn Phillips (29) and Mark Chapman (25) chipped in with cameos to lay the foundation for a big total, however, the Blackcaps were restricted for a ‘modest’ 163 from their twenty overs. Pakistan conceded only 33 runs in the last five overs to restrict the hosts to a modest total.
The tourists lost skipper Babar Azam (15) in the powerplay but Mohammad Rizwan, currently the top-ranked T20 batter, made 34 to keep them on course.
Pakistan went into the tri-series with questions around their middle order but Haider Ali blasted 31 and Mohammad Nawaz (38) and Iftikhar Ahmed (25) produced unbeaten cameos to ease those concerns and seal a comfortable victory.
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