A combined bowling effort, followed by emerging opener Hasan Nawaz’s sensational century, powered Pakistan to a commanding nine-wicket victory over New Zealand in the third T20I of the five-match series at Eden Park on Friday.
Pakistan’s Dominant Chase
Chasing a daunting 205-run target, Pakistan made light work of the total, knocking off the winning runs with 24 balls to spare while losing just one wicket.
Openers Mohammad Haris and Hasan Nawaz provided Pakistan with a flying start, adding 74 runs inside the powerplay before Haris fell on the penultimate ball of the sixth over. He struck a quickfire 41 off just 20 balls, featuring four fours and three sixes.
After Haris’ dismissal, skipper Salman Ali Agha joined Hasan Nawaz, and the duo stitched together an unbeaten 133-run stand to take Pakistan over the line in style.
Hasan played a breathtaking knock, smashing 105* off just 45 balls, which included 10 fours and seven sixes. Meanwhile, Agha also played a crucial role with a solid 51* off 31 balls, striking six fours and two sixes.
Jacob Duffy was the only wicket-taker for New Zealand.
New Zealand’s First Innings Performance
Earlier, after being put into bat, New Zealand faced an early setback as Shaheen Shah Afridi removed explosive opener Finn Allen in the very first over, courtesy of a brilliant one-handed catch by Haris Rauf.
Tim Seifert (19 off 9) and Mark Chapman then built a brief 40-run stand before Rauf dismissed Seifert.
Chapman went on to dominate the Pakistani bowlers, hammering 94 off 44 balls with 11 fours and four sixes. He shared crucial partnerships with Daryl Mitchell (17) and James Neesham (3) before falling to Afridi.
New Zealand’s innings stumbled further after Chapman’s departure, as they lost wickets in quick succession. Abrar Ahmed struck twice in one over, dismissing Mitchell Hay (9) and Kyle Jamieson (0), reducing New Zealand to 164/7 by the 15th over.
However, skipper Michael Bracewell’s late 31 off 18 balls, featuring three fours and two sixes, provided the Black Caps with a strong finish before he was dismissed by Haris Rauf in the penultimate over.
Pakistan’s Bowlers Shine
Haris Rauf led the bowling attack with impressive figures of 3/29 in his four overs, while Shaheen Afridi, Abrar Ahmed, and Abbas Afridi bagged two wickets each. Shadab Khan also chipped in with one.
What’s Next?
With this emphatic win, Pakistan takes the momentum into the fourth T20I, scheduled to be played in Mount Maunganui on Sunday.
