Mohammad Rizwan led with an unbeaten 77-run knock and Babar Azam scored 66 as Pakistan chased down 256 runs against New Zealand with 6 wickets in hand in the first ODI at National Stadium, Karachi on Monday. Earlier, Naseem Shah’s second five-wicket haul in the format helped the hosts restrict the Kiwis at 255 for 9 in 50 overs. Asked to bat first, New Zealand kept on losing wickets on a regular basis and failed to set a difficult target for Pakistan. Apart from Naseem, debutant spinner Usama Mir scalped two wickets. Mohammad Wasim Jr and Mohammad Nawaz also got one wicket each. (SCORECARD)
New Zealand (Playing XI): Finn Allen, Devon Conway, Kane Williamson(c), Tom Latham(w), Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Michael Bracewell, Mitchell Santner, Henry Shipley, Tim Southee, Lockie Ferguson
Babar Azam, the captain of Pakistan, says that they utilized the new balls perfectly and credits the fast bowlers. Praises his spinners also for executing the plans. Shares that their attempt was to build partnerships as it was not easy for a new batter. Lauds the batting effort of Mohammad Rizwan. He is happy with the bench strength and tells that he has a lot of options in both the pace and spin departments.
Kane Williamson, the captain of New Zealand, says that they would have liked a few more runs on the board. —Agencie
