Today, Wednesday, when Pakistan takes on New Zealand in the second ODI of the three-match series in Karachi, the green shirts will be aiming for a series victory.
On Monday, opening batsmen Fakhar Zaman (56 from 74) and Muhammad Rizwan (77 from 86) both scored half-centuries to help Pakistan defeat New Zealand by 256 runs with 11 balls remaining. In the three-match series, the green shirts already have a 1-0 lead.
Babar Azam, the captain of Pakistan, also contributed admirably with the bat, scoring 66 runs off 82 balls. Tim Southee finished with 1/55, Michael Bracewell with 2/44, and Glenn Phillips with 1/35 for New Zealand.
The hosts will be looking toward pacer Naseem Shah, whose fifer from the first ODI restricted New Zealand to 255/8 after 50 overs. Shah, who ended up with figures of 5/57, got ample support from debutant Usama Mir (2/42) while Muhammad Nawaz also pitched in with a wicket.
With excellent series wins against Australia, the Netherlands, and the West Indies over the past 12 months, Pakistan has improved its ODI record after a terrible Test record at home.
Pakistan won three consecutive matches, downing Australia 2-1, the West Indies 3-0 at home, and the Netherlands 3-0 on the road. With their victory on Monday, Pakistan has now won nine of its past ten games.
Babar Azam’s leadership has come under fire as a result of Pakistan’s recent Test series defeats to England and Australia, as well as a dismal draw last week against New Zealand. Some cricket analysts have urged the player to step down as captain so that he can concentrate more on his batting.
The match begins at 2:30 p.m. at the National Bank Cricket Arena in Karachi.
