New Delhi: Unbeaten New Zealand produced an all-round effort to beat Pakistan in the final of the ODI tri-series at the National Stadium in Karachi on Friday. Chasing a moderate total of 243 runs, the Kiwis got to the target comfortably in 45.2 overs with 5 wickets to spare.
Pakistan made early inroads with the wicket of Will Young (5) in the second over but a 71-run partnership between Devon Conway and seasoned Kane Williamson could not let them take the momentum forward. While Conway fell 2 short of his half-century scoring 48 runs, Williamson stood on the crease like a wall scoring 34 runs.
After the dismissal of both these players at a score of 108 for 3, Daryl Mitchell and Tom Latham came into play stitching a solid 87-run stand which almost completed the task for the Black Caps. While Mitchell got out after scoring 57 runs, Latham put up 56 runs on the board which included five boundaries.
Glenn Phillips did the rest towards the end with a quick knock of 20 runs off just 17 balls to help the side cross the finish line. For the Men in Green, Naseem Shah picked up two wickets while Shaheen Afridi and Abrar Ahmed picked a wicket each. Salman Agha also contributed with a scalp.
William O’Rourke restricts Pakistan to a moderate total
William O’Rourke produced a terrific spell where he registered figures of 4/43 to restrict the hosts who were looking in a fine form and on the cusp of a big total. Fakhar Zaman and Mohammed Rizwan were among the two big wickets picked by ORourke, who managed to stop the opener Zaman on just 10 runs while cut short Rizwan’s brilliant innings at 46 runs.
Salman Agha and Tayyab Tahir showed some resistance against the Kiwi attack with scores of 45 and 38 but they too were dispatched back to the pavilion by Michael Bracewell and Jacob Duffy respectively. Bracewell went on to take another wicket. Babar Azam looked well set initially but his innings was cut short by Nathan Smith for 29 runs.
New Zealand beat Pakistan by 5 wickets and 28 balls to spare on Friday in the final match at the National Stadium Lahore to win the ODI tri-series. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
