Mark Chapman & Will Smith star as New Zealand crush Pakistan by 73 runs in the first ODI
The New Zealand National Cricket Team, under the captaincy of Michael Bracewell, secured a comprehensive victory by a margin of 73 runs versus Mohammad Rizwan's Pakistan in the first One Day International of the three-match series at the Mclean Park in Napier on Saturday, taking a 1-0 lead in the series.
Chasing a big total of 345 runs, the Shaheens started off the chase on a confident note as the opening duo of Abdullah Shafique and debutant Usman Khan got involved in a opening stand of 83 runs. Both batsmen batted in an aggressive manner, laying a strong foundation for the chase for the visitors.
However, the partnership came to an end as seamer Nathan Smith dismissed Khan for 39 runs. Captain Bracewell then sent the other opener Shafique back to the dugout for 36 runs in the 16th over, leaving the Green Shirts at 88-2.
The experienced duo of skipper Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam then stabilized the inning for the visitors with a partnership of 76 runs for the third wicket and kept the chase alive. However, the former perished off the bowling of Muhammad Abbas, the debutant of the home side for 30 runs in the 29th over, reducing the Green Shirts to 164-3.
Azam, determined to anchor the innings for his team, then combined with Agha Salman for another important partnership of 89 runs for the fourth wicket. The former captain of Pakistan played a good inning of 78 runs, slamming his 36th One Day International half-century before perishing off the bowling of pacer Will O'Rourke in the 39th over of the chase, shifting the momentum back to the Kiwis.
Following the dismissal of Babar, the visitors struggled to regain the momentum and they suffered a collapse as they kept losing wickets on a back-to-back basis. The golden duck of Irfan Khan Niazi and the run out of Tayyab Tahir in the 40th over left the tourists struggling at a score of 253-6.
Kisi pacer Nathan Smith continued his impact with the ball, getting the wickets of both Haris Rauf & Naseem Shah in the 43rd over, while Duffy got Agha Salman dismissed for 58 runs. Tailender Akif Javed was the final player to get dismissed as the Shaheens got all-out for 271 runs in 44.1 overs.
Nathan Smith starred with the ball for the Blackcaps, ending the match with figures of 4-60 in eight overs, while Jacob Duffy also grabbed two scalps to his name. The duo of Will O'Rourke & debutant Muhammad Abbas also chipped in with a wicket each, helping their side secure a dominating victory.
Earlier in the match, after being asked to bat first by Mohammad Rizwan, the Kiwis faced early setbacks as Akif Javed caused a lot of trouble for the hosts, dismissing opener Will Young for one run in the third over. He then dismissed sent Henry Nicholls (11 runs) and Nick Kelly (15 runs) back to the dugout, leaving the home side struggling at 50-3 in 12.4 overs.
However, the Black Caps started a fight back as the duo of Daryl Mitchell and Mark Chapman stitched a key partnership of 100 runs for the fourth wicket. The Southpaw showcased an aggressive brand of Cricket and his stroke play saw him bring up his third One Day International hundred in the 38th over of the New Zealand inning, with the help of four big sixes and 11 fours.
Daryl Mitchell, Chapman's partner at the other end, played second fiddle and played the role of the anchor, scoring a good 76 runs before perishing off the bowling of Irfan Khan Niazi. The record-breaking 199-run stand of Chapman & Mitchell helped their team reach a strong position.
The Southpaw eventually got dismissed after playing a career-best knock of 132 runs, while the Pakistani duo of Irfan Niazi & Haris Rauf struck late in the match with the ball to cause issues for the home side. However, the blistering inning of 50 runs in 24 deliveries by debutant Muhammad Abbas helped his team cross the 300 run Mark.
Talking about the bowling performance of the Green Shirts, Irfan Khan Niazi was the best bowler of the match, dismissing three New Zealand batters by giving away 51 runs and he was followed by the duo of Akif Javed & Haris Rauf who picked up two wickets a piece. Mohammad Ali & Naseem Shah also grabbed one scalp each.
The next match between the two teams will be played on the 2nd of April at the Seddon Park in Hamilton. The match will commence from 3:30 AM IST onwards.