Observer Report
Auckland
New Zealand beat Pakistan by five wickets in the first Twenty20 International (T20I) at Auckland’s Eden Park on Friday with seven balls to spare. New Zealand took 1-0 lead in the three match series. The Kiwis ended on 156-5 after the Green Shirts set them a target of 154 runs.
Tim Seifert remained the top scorer for the hosts with 57 off 43. Mark Chapman registered 34 runs in 20 balls. Pakistan’s Haris Rauf dismissed three batsmen while Shaheen Afridi picked up two wickets. Pakistan had won the toss and decided to bat first but stumbled to 20-4 in 4.1 overs.