RAWALPINDI: Pakistan defeated New Zealand by five wickets in the first One-Day International (ODI) match played at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Thursday.
Winning the toss, Pakistan elected to bowl first against the Black Caps. Daryl Mitchell scored brilliant century and made 113 runs. Will Young also played a handy innings of 86 runs.
Pakistani bowlers Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah took two wickets each.
In reply, Pakistan achieved the target in the second last over for the loss of five wickets. Fakhar Zaman smashed a stunning century and guided his side home. He scored 117 runs. Imam and Babar also contributed with the bat.
Earlier, New Zealand levelled the T20I series with 2-2 after winning the last match at the Rawalpindi Cricket Ground.
New Zealand visited the South Asian Country after they deferred their last tour all of sudden. Later, they came back and played a test series. Cane Williamson led the Kiwis in the longest format of the game when they arrived in Pakistan.
Squads:
Pakistan: Babar Azam (c) Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Shan Masood, Agha Salman, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf
New Zealand: Tom Latham (c & wk), Chad Bowes, Will Young, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Rachin Ravindra, Ish Sodhi, Adam Milne, Matt Henry, Blair Tickner
