AUCKLAND – Pakistan on Friday beat New Zealand by successfully chasing down a massive 205-run target in the third T20I match, thanks to opener Hasan Nawaz’s record-breaking fastest century.
In the match played in Auckland, Pakistan’s openers made an aggressive start in pursuit of the target. However, opener Mohammad Haris was dismissed after scoring 41 runs, with the total at 74.
Captain Salman Ali Agha then joined Hasan Nawaz at the crease and contributed with a 51-run innings off 31 balls.
Hassan Nawaz smashed his maiden T20 century, which was the fastest by any Pakistani batsman. He remained unbeaten, scoring 105 runs off just 45 balls.
Jacob Duffy was the only successful bowler for New Zealand, claiming one wicket.
Earlier, New Zealand’s entire team was bowled out for 204 runs in 19.5 overs. They suffered an early setback when opener Finn Allen was dismissed for a duck. However, Tim Seifert and Mark Chapman added 40 runs for the second wicket before Seifert was sent back to the pavilion after scoring 19.
Mark Chapman played a brilliant innings of 94 runs, hitting four sixes and 11 fours. Other contributors included Daryl Mitchell (17), Michael Bracewell (31), James Neesham (3), Mitchell Hay (9), Ish Sodhi (10), Jacob Duffy (2), and Kyle Jamieson (0).
For Pakistan, Haris Rauf took three wickets while Shaheen Shah Afridi and Abrar Ahmed claimed two each. Shadab Khan and Abbas Afridi secured one wicket each.
Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha, after winning the toss, opted to field first. He announced two changes in the squad, bringing in Mohammad Abbas Afridi and Abrar Ahmed in place of Jahandad Khan and Mohammad Ali.
Salman Ali Agha expressed his determination to win the third match and seal the series victory.
On the other hand, New Zealand captain Michael Bracewell stated that they aimed to set a big target against the Green Shirts and were focused on winning the match to claim the series.
Squads:
New Zealand: Tim Seifert, Finn Allen, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Mitch Hay (wk), Michael Bracewell (c), Ish Sodhi, Kyle Jamieson, Jacob Duffy, Ben Sears
Pakistan: Mohammad Haris (wk), Hasan Nawaz, Salman Ali Agha (c), Muhammad Irfan Khan, Shadab Khan, Abdul Samad, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf
