Pakistan leads New Zealand 1-0 after goals from Fakhar (117) and Imam (50)
April 29, 2023
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By seven wickets, Pakistan defeated New Zealand. There is very little that either side can do to stop Fakhar Zaman from having days like these. He also has days like these with frightening regularity, which is what makes him so special. Pakistan’s premier ODI opener blitzed New Zealand with an unbeaten 180 off 144 balls, which was his third consecutive ODI century.
His team was able to cruise to their second-highest chase in the format thanks to this, taking down New Zealand’s 336-run total with almost two overs remaining and seven wickets. The chase was built on a 135-run partnership with Babar Azam, who scored 65 runs, and a devastating counter-attacking partnership with Mohammad Rizwan that blew New Zealand out of the game.
Match Report
Even though New Zealand had performed significantly better than in the first ODI, this match felt like a repeat. Daryl Mitchell scored 100, and New Zealand put themselves in a position for a colossal aggregate. Even though they scored 336 runs more than they did in the first ODI, the hosts were able to gain some momentum at the end thanks to Pakistan’s tight final three overs.
Yet again and Pakistan started the pursuit brilliantly, however, Matt Henry struck to eliminate Imam-ul-Haq in the last over of the powerplay; However, the hosts kept winning by more than seven runs per over. Coming in at No. 3, Babar had a rough start to the innings, scoring just 16 runs in 25 balls. In this way, the onus fell on Fakhar to guarantee Pakistan stayed on top of the asking rate, a weight he fulfilled easily.
The genuine speed increase came in the 21st over when he sent off Ish Sodhi for 17, speeding along to his 10th ODI hundred. He had raised three figures in 83 balls, before sending off Rachin Ravindra for a gigantic six over midwicket, as at this point Pakistan was murmuring. With two boundaries against Henry Shipley, Babar had also rediscovered his touch, and he was on his way to another fifty years.
Until Babar’s unforced error gave New Zealand the lead, they couldn’t break through the bowling changes. He had talked Sodhi for a six and a four in the 30th over before a main edge saw the ball fly up to Chad Bowes at short cover.
When debutant Abdullah Shafique was forced off by Shipley, the visitors had a glimmer of hope, but Rizwan responded with another strong hit in the counterattack. It started with a glorious cover drive off the primary ball and went on with a similar tastefulness. As both experienced batters tore chunks out of the bowlers, particularly the inexperienced Ravindra, Fakhar felt a lot less pressure. Pakistan prevailed, in the end, thanks to Fakhar’s 150 runs and Rizwan’s half-century off the penultimate ball he faced.
Mitchell’s second consecutive hundred in the series had helped New Zealand reach a formidable total of 336 earlier. The foundation of New Zealand’s largest ODI total in Pakistan was a 183-run partnership with his captain Tom Latham for the third wicket. Latham’s 98 runs off 85 balls ensured that his partner had plenty of support at the other end.
There would be less of a pause at the end this time, in contrast to the first ODI, where Pakistan’s solid bowling caused New Zealand to rapidly fall behind in the final ten overs. New Zealand turned through the pinion wheels in the last couple of overs to squeeze home the upside of the prevailing position they had worked themselves into by ravaging 98 runs in the last ten overs, with their innings highlighting Mitchell’s profession-best 129 off 119 balls.
While New Zealand made a more urgent start than they did on Thursday, Pakistan had won the toss and decided to field first. Haris Rauf struck to remove Will Young early. However, aside from Naseem Shah, no pace bowler was spared because of his accuracy and menace. Ihsanullah, who was making his debut, was hit the hardest by the third-wicket partnership. Mitchell hit Rauf for fours and sixes in the 17th over, bringing up the side’s 100, and Rauf was not spared either.
Haris struck again after Bowes arrived at his lady fifty, however, it united the characterizing stand of the innings when Latham and Mitchell got together. On Thursday, Latham struggled with strokeplay, but he had no such issues on the day, getting off to a quick start and effectively exploiting the spinners. New Zealand’s platform was being built beautifully, and Mitchell had an unflappable appearance.
Conclusion
In a thrilling second ODI match between Pakistan and New Zealand, Fakhar Zaman’s brilliant unbeaten 180 helped Pakistan secure a seven-wicket win over New Zealand. It was Zaman’s third successive ODI century, and he put on a 135-run partnership with Babar Azam and a devastating partnership with Mohammad Rizwan to take the game away from New Zealand. Despite Daryl Mitchell’s century and Tom Latham’s 98, New Zealand’s total of 336 was not enough as Pakistan chased down the target with ease.
The match saw some impressive batting performances from both sides, but it was Fakhar Zaman who stole the show with his brilliant knock. His ability to score big runs with frightening regularity makes him a special player and a key asset for Pakistan’s ODI team. Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan also played crucial roles in the chase, with their counterattacking knocks ensuring that Pakistan never lost their momentum.
New Zealand will be disappointed with the result, despite putting up a formidable total on the board. Mitchell’s second successive century and Latham’s aggressive batting gave New Zealand a strong foundation, but they could not capitalize on it in the final overs. In the end, Pakistan’s bowlers were able to restrict New Zealand’s total to a manageable target, which their batsmen chased down with ease.
Overall, it was an excellent performance by Pakistan, and they will be delighted with their win. Both teams played very well its a hard luck for new zealand to lose this match. On May 3 both teams will play their next match.
