Sports News Pak vs NZ Shaheen Shah Afridi and Mohammad Nawaz grabbed two wickets each
Sports News Pak vs NZ 5th T20i Match Summary
- The hosts routed for 92 in 17.2 overs.
- Green Shirts pull together 134-run target for New Zealand.
- Rizwan, Fakhar and Babar Azam hit 38, 33 and 13, respectively.
In Christchurch, Pakistan secured victory in the final T20I match of a five-game series against New Zealand, avoiding a whitewash with a 4-1 outcome.
The Green Shirts had faced heavy defeats in the first four games at the hands of the Black Caps.
Iftikhar Ahmed, a part-time offspinner, delivered a career-best performance with figures of 3-24. A weakened New Zealand batting lineup struggled against the turning ball, resulting in their eighth-lowest T20 total. Only opener Finn Allen (22) and Glenn Phillips (26) managed to surpass 20 runs as Pakistan impressively took the last eight wickets for just 39 runs, showcasing their best bowling display of the series.
Left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz (2-18) was effective in the early overs, dismissing Rachin Ravindra and Will Young. Shaheen Shah Afridi, concluding his maiden series as captain, contributed with 2-20.
New Zealand played without three of their key batters: Kane Williamson (due to a knee injury), Devon Conway (Covid-19), and Daryl Mitchell (rested).
In the earlier innings, the home side initially seemed poised for a clean sweep as they restricted Pakistan’s batters with disciplined bowling. Seamers Tim Southee, Matt Henry, and Lockie Ferguson, along with spinner Ish Sodhi, all claimed two wickets each. Southee, the highest wicket-taker in T20 cricket, made an impact by dismissing debutant Haseebullah Khan in the opening over and later removing the dangerous Fakhar Zaman in the 13th over.
Despite a promising start, Pakistan’s top-scorer Mohammad Rizwan departed for 38 off 38 balls, ultimately leading to the lowest first-innings score by either team in the series.thats the Sports News Pak vs NZ for today.
