PAK vs NZ: Five most memorable T20Is between Pakistan and New Zealand
New Zealand will host Pakistan in a 3-match T20I series to be played between December 18 and 22 in Auckland, Hamilton and Napier respectively. The two teams have faced off as many as 21 times in the T20I format out of which Pakistan won 13 while the Kiwis settled with 8 wins. Despite the advantage being on Pakistan’s side, the clashes between the two teams have usually been thrilling which have gone down the wire. Here are five memorable matches played between Pakistan and New Zealand in the T20I format:
3rd T20I in 2018, Mount Maunganui:
Pakistan toured New Zealand at the start of 2018. The 3-match T20I series was poised at 1-1 with a match to go. The deciding 3rd T20I was played at Mount Maunganui where Pakistan finished with 181/6 in their 20 overs while batting first despite no player getting a half-century.
Martin Guptill’s 59 from 43 balls helped New Zealand made a solid start to the chase. But losing three wickets in the space of nine balls including the wickets of Guptill and Colin de Grandhomme affected New Zealand’s progress in the chase. Kiwis could only post 163/6 in the reply and lost the series.
1st T20I in 2016, Auckland:
Pakistan played a 3-match T20I series in New Zealand months before the World T20 in India. The first match was hosted by Auckland’s Eden Park where Pakistan posted 171/8 with help of Mohammad Hafeez’s 47-ball 61 at the top. Captain Shahid Afridi’s 8-ball 23 towards the end boosted the score. Colin Munro smashed a 27-ball 56 as New Zealand were 89/2 at halfway stage in the chase.
The wicket of Munro proved to be a turning point for Pakistan as the Kiwis lost their last nine wickets for 66 runs. Wahab Riaz was a pick of bowlers with three wickets but it was Shahid Afridi’s spell of 4-1-26-2 that turned the game in Pakistan’s favour.
2nd T20I in 2018, Dubai:
New Zealand batted first in Dubai and finished with 153/7. Colin Munro’s 28-ball 44 at the top and Corey Anderson’s unbeaten 25-ball 44 were the major contributions. In reply, Pakistan raced to 40 runs in 4.3 overs but slowed down through the middle overs.
Mohammad Hafeez struck two sixes in the 17th over to yield 17 runs when Pakistan needed 40 runs from four overs. Later, Hafeez finished off the chase with a boundary when his team needed four runs from the last three balls. Pakistan bagged the T20I series with a close win and also extended their streak while chasing in T20Is to 11.
1st T20I in 2018, Abu Dhabi:
Abu Dhabi hosted the first game of the 3-match T20I series between Pakistan and New Zealand in 2018. Some tight bowling by the Kiwis saw Pakistan make only 148/6 in their 20 overs on a slow track. New Zealand got a 50-run partnership in only six overs as Colin Munro struck a 42-ball 58 at the top.
New Zealand couldn’t score runs at a quick pace in the middle overs leaving them to chase 26 runs from the last two overs. Just seven runs came in the 19th over where the Kiwis lost the wickets of Corey Anderson and Tim Seifert. Only 14 runs came in the final over including a boundary on the final ball of the game and Pakistan sneaked through with a 2-run win.
World T20 in 2010, Bridgetown:
New Zealand and Pakistan faced off at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown as part of the 2010 WT20 group match. The Kiwis crawled to 133/7 in their 20 overs before coming back strongly with the ball. They got five wickets of Pakistan for only 58 runs in 9.4 overs. Opener Salman Butt put on 53 runs with Abdul Razzaq for the 6th wicket but Pakistan still needed 23 from 13 balls.
Butt, who reached 50 in 45 balls, struck a six in the 19th over and two boundaries in the first four balls of the final over. With three runs needed from the last two balls, the opening batsman failed to connect the penultimate ball but sneaked in a bye. Abdur Rahman, who faced the last ball of the game, hit one straight into the hands of a deep square-leg fielder as Blackcaps won by one run. It was New Zealand’s maiden win over Pakistan in the T20I format.
