PAK vs NZ 1st T20: New Zealand crush Pakistan by nine wickets in the first T20 and take a 1-0 lead
New Zealand, under the captaincy of Michael Bracewell, secured a comfortable win over Pakistan in the first T20I of the five-match T20 International series on Sunday at Hagley Oval, as they defeated the Shaheens by a margin of nine wickets, courtesy of a dominant performance by the opening batters.
Chasing a small total of 91 runs, the duo of Finn Allen and Tim Seifert displayed an exceptional batting performance right from the beginning, stitching a 53-run opening partnership in the powerplay, showcasing their batting brilliance.
Seifert was on his way towards yet another fifty in the T20 International format but he fell short, as he was dismised by Abrar Ahmed after playing a good innings of 44 runs in 29 balls, leaving the Blackcaps at the score of 53-1 in 5.5 overs.
Tim Robinson, batting at number three, then joined Finn Allen in the middle and kept the pressure away from his partner, as the two saw out the chase and helped their team win the match in the 11th over, giving the home side a 1-0 lead in the series. Allen played an unbeaten knock of 29 runs, while his partner Robinson scored 18 runs.
For Pakistan, leg spinner Abrar Ahmed picked up the only wicket in the match, while the other bowlers failed to create any kind of impact with the ball.
After being put into bat first by New Zealand skipper Michael Bracewell, the Green Shirts struggled to get going versus the highly disciplined bowling attack of New Zealand and were bowled out for a mere score of 91 runs, with 30-year-old seamer Kyle Jamieson leading the charge with three wickets in the powerplay.
The innings of the Salman Ali Agha-led side got off to a horrendous start, as they lost three wickets in quick succession with just one run on the board. Jamieson sent Muhammad Haris back to the dugout for a duck, while Irfan Khan also got out off the bowling of tbe 30-year-old after managing to score just a single run.
Hasan Nawaz, the debutant also failed to impress as he fell cheaply, out for a two ball duck off the bowling of pacer Jacob Duffy, which put a lot of pressure on the Shaheens.
Shadab Khan, the vice-captain, walked out to bat at number five and even he failed to stabilize the innings of his team, as he perished after scoring just three runs in six balls as Jamieson made him his third victim.
The Green Shirts were struggling at 11-4 in 4.4 overs and the duo of Khushdil Shah & captain Salman Agha retaliated with a partnership of 46 runs for the fifth wicket, aiming to steady the sinking ship. However, their efforts went in vain, as leg spinner Ish Sodhi accounted for the wicket of the Pakistani skipper, leaving the visitors at 57-5 in 11.1 overs.
Khushdil, who showcased an aggressive intent with the bat, was the only batter to play a decent knock, scoring 32 runs with the assistance of three sixes. However, his time in the middle was cut short in the 13th over of the match as Duffy struck once again, reducing the Green Shirts to a score of 64-6.
The Salman Ali Agha-led side kept losing wickets in quick succession, leg spinner Ish Sodhi accounted for the wicket of another Pakistani debutant, Abdul Samad (7 runs in 12 balls), leaving the visitors reeling at the score of 80-7 in 15.3 overs.
With Pakistan struggling at 85-8, Zakary Foulkes delivered them their eighth blow by dismissing Jahandad Khan, who scored 17 runs. The side was at 89-9 after 18.1 overs as Shaheen Afridi struggled to get further runs before being removed by Duffy for just one.
As Pakistan completed their first innings, Abrar Ahmed was the final player to fall, falling just nine runs short of 100. Jacob Duffy took the most wickets with four, followed by Ish Sodhi with two, Kyle Jamieson with three, and Zakary Foulkes with one.
Do Read: PAK vs NZ 1st T20: Pakistan off to a horrible start as Kyle Jamieson wreaks havoc, puts them at 11-4
