From the beginning itself, they were the clear favourites to win the Tri-Series. And now, they have emerged as the champions — beating the hosts in a tricky chase.
Pakistan lifted the Tri-Series trophy, winning against New Zealand by five wickets with three balls win in hand on Friday in Christchurch. Pakistan lost only once in this series to New Zealand, but in the final, they kept their nerve strong till the end.
Read: Tri-Series: Bangladesh lose to Pakistan by 7 wickets
Pakistan needed to score 164 to win the series. They scored 29 in the opening partnership — a relatively slow start from them. But they were firm against the New Zealand bowling attack.
Babar Azam fell as the first wicket scoring 15 off 14 balls, while Mohammad Rizwan posted 34. Both of them had hit a fifty each while chasing 173 against Bangladesh before the final.
Haider Ali’s 15-ball 31 helped accelerate the scoring when they needed it the most. In the fourth wicket stand, Nawaz and Haider added 56 runs off just 26 balls — this partnership effectively pushed the match Pakistan’s way.
On the sixth wicket, Nawaz and Iftikhar Ahmed added 36 off 20 balls and that finished the match. Iftikhar scored 25 off 14 balls with a winning shot, a six, off Blair Tickner in the third ball of the last over.
None of the Pakistani batters scored a fifty or a 40, but they demonstrated a team effort while chasing a big total.
For New Zealand, Michael Bracewell, who was outstanding throughout the event, bagged two wickets in the final, but his effort was not enough for the Blackcaps to avoid a defeat.
Earlier, Pakistan bowled first in this match after winning the toss. New Zealand scored 163 runs for seven wickets with the captain, Kane Williamson, leading the way, hitting 59 off 38 balls.
Read: Tri-Series: As Bangladesh suffer another defeat, New Zealand march to final
New Zealand lost Finn Allen, the opener, in the last ball of the first over. Before falling prey to Naseem Shah, he hit three fours and scored 12 off just six balls. Devon Conway, the other opener, also couldn’t go big in the final.
For Pakistan, Naseem and Haris Rauf bagged two wickets each.
This win will surely boost the confidence of the Asian giant ahead of their T20 World Cup campaign starting this month in Australia.
Source: United News of Bangladesh