- Pakistan secures a seven-wicket victory over New Zealand.
- Fakhar Zaman stays not out with a score of 180.
- The Pakistani cricket team leads the ODI series 2-0.
Rawalpindi: On Saturday, in a match held at the Pindi Cricket Stadium, Fakhar Zaman, the Pakistani opener, played an outstanding unbeaten innings of 180 runs, leading the home side to secure a seven-wicket win against New Zealand.
With his brilliant display of batting skills, the left-handed opener illuminated the Pindi Stadium, leading Pakistan to take a commanding 2-0 lead in the ODI series.
Despite the dismissal of opener Imam-ul-Haq, who scored a total of 66 runs, Fakhar Zaman continued to dominate the game with his magnificent performance and remained at the top of the table.
Fakhar Zaman was well-supported by skipper Babar Azam in the chase of 337 runs, as they built a crucial partnership of 135 runs after the dismissal of opener Imam-ul-Haq. However, Babar’s soft dismissal off Ish Sodhi after scoring 65 runs didn’t shake Fakhar’s focus, as he continued to dominate the game and ultimately partnered strongly with Mohammad Rizwan to achieve the highest chase in ODIs in Pindi.
Fakhar remained unbeaten with a remarkable score of 180 runs, which included 17 boundaries and six maximums, and also made him the fastest Asian to reach 3,000 runs. This was Fakhar’s third consecutive century in ODIs, a feat only achieved by three other Pakistani batters before him: Zaheer Abbas, Saeed Anwar, and Babar Azam.
Meanwhile, Rizwan also played a crucial role in the victory, scoring his 19th half-century and contributing 54 not out, including six boundaries. Overall, it was a stunning performance by the Pakistani team, led by Fakhar’s incredible innings, which earned them a well-deserved 2-0 lead in the ODI series against New Zealand.
Matt Henry, Henry Shipley, and Sodhi managed to take a wicket each for New Zealand.
In the first innings, Daryl Mitchell showed his dedication once again by registering another ODI century to help New Zealand reach 336-5.
After losing opener Will Young in the sixth over, Mitchell and Chad Bowes took charge and built the innings. Bowes scored his maiden ODI half-century, and the two batters scored 86 runs together, putting New Zealand in a position to score over 300.
Haris Rauf provided the breakthrough for Pakistan, getting rid of Bowes, who scored a run-a-ball 51. Mitchell then partnered strongly with captain Tom Latham, and the two put up 183 runs to ensure a big total in the first innings. Latham missed his century by just two runs, and was given out on a review that no one believed except Rauf.
Mitchell, who was dropped on 96 by Naseem Shah, eventually gave his wicket to the same bowler in the 46th over after scoring 129 runs with eight boundaries and three maximums.
Read more: Pakistan achieves historic 500th ODI victory against New Zealand
Rauf was Pakistan’s key bowler in this match, taking four wickets, while Naseem only managed to take one scalp.
Teams
Pakistan: Babar Azam (captain), Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, Agha Salman, Abdullah Shafique, Ihsanullah, Usama Mir
New Zealand: Tom Latham (captain), Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Rachin Ravindra, Ish Sodhi, James Neesham, Will Young, Chad Bowes, Mark Chapman, Matt Henry, Henry Shipley,
Umpires: Rashid Riaz (Pak) and Aleem Dar (Pak)
TV umpire: Ahsan Raza (Pak)
Match referee: Chris Broad (ENG)
