New Zealand on Friday went ahead in the PAK vs NZ T20I series when Kane Willamson’s men won the PAK vs NZ 1st T20I by 46 runs, New Zealand, batting first, scored 226 runs and bundled Pakistan out for 180 runs.
Pakistan won the toss and decided to field first. New Zealand got off to a great start although they lost opener Devon Conway in the second ball of the match. Captain Kane Williamson built a strong partnership of 49 runs with opener Finn Allen to steady the ship. When Allen departed, New Zealand looked in a spot of bother but the skipper and Daryl Mitchell maintained the steady flow of runs.
The duo stitched a partnership of 78 runs as Mitchell went on a rampage, taking the attack to the opposition while Williamson played the role of an anchor. The skipper departed at an individual score of 57 of 42 balls but Mitchell kept his aggressive batting going. Glenn Phillips added 19 of 11 balls while Mark Chapman contributed with 26 of 11 balls as New Zealand moved towards a big score. Daryl Mitchell was the pick of the batters, scoring 61 of 27 balls to help New Zealand reach a score of 226.
To talk about Pakistan’s bowling, Shaheen Afridi and Abbas Afridi both picked up three wickets although they both went for runs. Shaheen conceded 51 while Abbas gave away 34 runs in four overs.
Pakistan started their chase positively, with openers Saim Ayub and Mohammad Rizwan playing shots right from the first ball. Ayub especially impressed with his flawless strokeplay. However, Ayub fell early, scoring 27 of 8 balls. Rizwan went back to the dressing room three overs later, making the chase steeper. Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman built a short partnership before Zaman departed, Although wickets fell at regular intervals, Pakistan never allowed the asking rate to go out of hand. Afridi’s team were 109/3 after 10 overs, setting up an exhilarating end to the match.
Iftikhar Ahmed, batting at number 5, scored some quick runs before departing on an individual score of 24 of 17 balls while Babar Azam held on from the other end.
Babar Azam, who has been going through a bad run of form off late, shone in the PAK vs NZ 1st T20I. The former Pakistan captain scored a fighting half-century even as wickets kept falling from the other end. However, with over 11 runs needed in every over, Babar departed 57 of 35 balls. The Pakistan chase fell apart after Babar’s departure, with Shaheen Afridi’s team getting bundled out for 180.
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