The fifth and final match of the T20Is series between Pakistan and New Zealand cricket team has ended in Christchurch with Pakistan winning the last match with 42 runs and New Zealand take the series with 4-1.
Exceptional bowling by Iftikhar Ahmed led Pakistan to a 42-run win over New Zealand in the last game of the five-match T20I series. Pakistan posted 134-8 in 20 overs while batting first in Hagley Oval, Christchurch. In return, New Zealand were bundled out for a paltry 92 as the visitors successfully defended a low total to avoid a series whitewash.
Pakistan captain Shaheen Shah Afridi won the toss and elected to bat first. Tim Southee struck in the first over to remove debutant Haseebullah for a duck.
The seasoned duo of Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam put up a 53-run second-wicket stand to bring some stability to the innings after the early setback. Ish Sodhi brought an end to the partnership in the 10th over as Babar (13, 24b, 1×4) was caught by Glenn Phillips at deep midwicket.
Fakhar Zaman hit a quick-fire 33 from 16, including a boundary and four sixes, to get the scoreboard moving for his team. Southee got his second wicket of the day when Fakhar mistimed a shot to Lockie Ferguson at long-off.
Mohammad Nawaz fell to Sodhi for just one run on the last ball of the 14th over. On the subsequent ball, Rizwan was caught by Rachin Ravindra on Matt Henry’s bowling after scoring a run-a-ball 38, including four boundaries.
Iftikhar Ahmed and Shaheen were dismissed by Ferguson and Henry respectively to bring Pakistan to 114-7 in 18.2 overs.
Sahibzada Farhan, the seventh batter in, contributed 19 from 14, including a six and four, before getting out to Ferguson in the last over of the innings. Abbas Afridi also chipped in with an unbeaten 14 from six, including two maximums.
Southee, Ferguson, Sodhi and Henry all accounted for two scalps each as Pakistan were restricted to 134-8 in 20 overs.
Defending a low total, Nawaz aided Pakistan by removing Ravindra for just a run in the second over of the innings. Finn Allen (22, 19b, 3x4s, 16) was the next batter to walk back to the pavilion, as he was caught by Haseebullah off Zaman Khan’s bowling.
Will Young hit 12 from 11, including two fours, before Iftikhar Ahmed caught him at deep square as Nawaz got his second wicket of the day.
Shortly after, Mark Chapman was run out to bring New Zealand down to 54-4 in the 11th over. Iftikhar trapped Tim Seifert (19, 30b) leg-before while captain Mitchell Santner fell to leg-spinner Usama Mir for a run-a-ball four. Trouble deepened for the home side as both Sodhi and Henry fell victim to Iftikhar, for a run each. Phillips’ (26, 22b, 1×4, 1×6) fighting effort went in vain as skipper Shaheen cleaned up the last two wickets to bowl out New Zealand for 92 in 17.2 overs.
Iftikhar was the pick of the bowlers for the visitors, returning with three wickets for 24 runs in his four overs, and was adjudged player of the match. Shaheen and Nawaz grabbed two wickets while Zaman and Usama removed a batter each.
It was Pakistan’s day, finally something to cheer about for the team and Pakistan fans alike. Shaheen Afridi wins his first game as captain. It was a power-packed performance and a convincing win in the last T20I of the five match series that ends on 4-1. The bowling delivered as a unit today and Nawaz was tight in the powerplay – smart move to introduce spin early on – that helped them built the pressure.
Economical stuff from all of the bowlers and once Pakistan triggered a wobble at the top, New Zealand had little resistance to offer. Earlier, that crucial partnership between Mohammad Rizwan and Fakhar Zaman – where he played the role of the aggressor – helped Pakistan scrap their way to a fighting total. Babar Azam didn’t come out to field today. He had issues with his hamstring in the last game and looked off-colour today.
Pakistan enjoyed bowling in conditions that had plenty of assistance for the spinners, and the decision to bring on Iftikhar Ahmed paid rich dividends. It was baffling how he didn’t bowl at all in the previous games, as Shaheen Afridi said they wanted to try newcomers, and the aim was to get the combination right. I’ll leave that for you to make sense of because I, for one, cannot fathom a lack of concern about winning contests, even though it’s a World Cup preparation series but winning is important too.
New Zealand bossed the series for four games and dropped their in-form batter Daryl Mitchell for this one. Kane Williamson missed the last three games due to hamstring strain, and despite the shuffling, New Zealand were fiercely competitive, showing their strong bench strength throughout the series. Today, they didn’t look comfortable against spin, in particular, and just went into a shell as the asking rate crept up.
Pakistan finally breaks the hoodoo after a 3-0 defeat, albeit in a highly engrossing Test series in Australia, and four losses on the trot in New Zealand. New Zealand will now turn their attention toward the Test series against South Africa, while Pakistan players will get ready for the ninth edition of the Pakistan Super League, which will kick off on 17th February.