AUKLAND: New Zealand handed Pakistan a 46-run defeat that saw Shaheen Shah Afridi start T20I captain with a loss in the first T20I at Eden Park in Auckland on Friday.
Despite a great start that saw Saim Ayub’s remarkable knock as the left-handed batsman scored 27 off just 8, the Green Shirts fell apart in their chase and failed to convert it into a victory.
The green shirts were 130-4 in 12.4 overs, still in a position to chase the target, but Azam Khan’s disappointment with the bat doubled the visitors’ woes.
Fakhar Zaman (15 off 10), Iftikhar Ahmed (24 off 17) and Azam Khan (10 off 9) were weaker with the bat than the men in green.
Meanwhile, former captain Babar Azam top-scored for the losing side as he scored 57 runs off 35 balls, but his efforts were not enough for the mammoth target set by the Black Caps.
Tim Southee, who completed his 150th T20I wicket, picked three wickets while Adam Milne and Ben Sears got two each.
Earlier in the first innings, Daryl Mitchell and Kane Williamson were New Zealand’s best performers with the bat as they both scored 57 and 61 runs respectively.
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Williamson was given a lifer in the 11th over when he was run out by Babar Azam, the Kiwi skipper made the most of the chance to finish with a fantastic half-century.
Although the 33-year-old hasn’t played with a remarkable strike rate (135.71), he has been able to provide space for other players like Finn Allen (35 off 15) and Mitchell (61 off 27) to light the fire. and scored runs at a success rate of 233 and 255, respectively.
Down the order, Mark Chapman did his job and scored another quick 26 off just 11 deliveries with two fours and as many sixes.
All the Pakistani bowlers were taken to the cleaners, with only Abbas Afridi and Haris Rauf bowling at a decent economy of 8.50 each.
Afridi, who got off to a great start with a wicket in the first over, failed to capitalize and ended up conceding 46 runs, taking three wickets.
Aamer Jamal conceded 56 while Usama Mir was bowled out for 51 runs in four overs.
Playing XI
Pakistan: Mohammad Rizwan, Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Azam Khan (wk), Aamir Jamal, Usama Mir (debut), Shaheen Afridi (c), Abbas Afridi (debut), Haris Rauf
New Zealand: Finn Allen, Devon Conway (wk), Kane Williamson (c), Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Adam Milne, Matthew Henry, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Ben Sears
