Pakistan registers thrilling win against New Zealand in 1st T20 match in Abu Dhabi

Pakistan, after routing Australia 3-0 to clinch 11 successive series wins, took a 1-0 lead against New Zealand with a slender two run win in the first of the three match series at the Shaikh Zayed Stadium on Wednesday.

Sarfraz Ahmad and his boys have thus managed to swell the win tally to seven on the trot. It was also Pakistan’s 15th win in 17 outings this year.

Set 149 to win, New Zealand made a strong start to their run chase with Colin Munro taking the onus on himself to up the run rate. The Kiwi innings took off once Munro went after Imad Wasim in the fifth over – hammering two towering sixes and a four.

New Zealand’s 50 was onboard in just 5.4 overs but the wicket of opener Glenn Phillips, who was playing cautiously for his 15 ball 12, forced Munro into his shell.

In the next four overs – two each from spinner Mohammad Hafeez and Shadab Khan — the Kiwis managed only 16 and after 10 overs they were 66 for 1. Munro got to his 50 in 38 delivers but once he was dismissed on 58 (42b, 6x4, 3x6) – caught at long-on trying to hoist Shadab Khan, New Zealand’s slide started.

Skipper Kane Williamson fell to Wasim for 11 and a brilliant run-out by Shadab Khan to get rid of Colin de Grandhomme reduced the tourist to 89  in 14 overs. New Zealand needed 54 in the last five. Ross Taylor kept them in the game with an unbeaten 42 ball 26 but lacked support from the other end. New Zealand needed 17 to win off the last over from Shaheen Afridi, but they could only manage 14. Hassan Ali was the pick of the bowlers with 3 for 35.

Earlier, taking the first share of the crease, Pakistan recovered from 10 for 2 to post 148 for 6 in 20 overs.

The hosts were in a spot of bother after they



lost their in-form opener Babar Azam in the second over to Adam Milne. Babar, who registered scores of 68 not out, 45 and 50 in the three T20Is against Australia to claim the top-spot in the T20I batsmen’s rankings, edged one straight into the gloves of the keeper Tim Seifert.

Left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel, making his debut, immediately got his first wicket and added another blow by getting Sahibzada caught at deep square leg. Pakistan remained undeterred and the serenity was immediately restored by Mohammed Hafeez and Asif Ali; the former being the more aggressive of the two. The duo put on a partnership of 67 runs for the second wicket and Pakistan was very much on the road to post a decent total.

It needed a brilliant diving catch from Tim Southee to get rid of the aggressive Hafeez, while on 45 off 36. That was Milne’s second victim for the evening to finish with 2 for 28.

Ali, though hung around, couldn’t really provide the push and his 21 ball 24 ended with Glen Phillips showing tremendous agility to run down from mid-wicket to take a fine catch off the bowling of De Grandhomme. After 15 overs, Pakistan were 104 for 4 with skipper Sarfraz and Shaoib Malik at the crease. Sarfaz scored an important 34 off 26 balls but a run-out and a wicket in the same over from Ish Sodhi stemmed Pakistan’s surge; Corey Anderson getting involved in the both the dismissals. He put in a dive at long-off, running in from long-on, to take a sensational catch to get rid of Sarfraz first and then a delivery later making sure that Malik was short of the crease with a direct hit from long-on.

Iman Wasim and Faheem Ashraf then came up with a couple of lusty hits at the death to ensure Pakistan got close to the 150-mark.