Pakistan registered its first one-day worldwide collection win over New Zealand in 12 years with a hard-fought 26-run victory within the third match in Karachi on Wednesday.
Imam-ul-Haq scored a 107-ball 90 whereas Babar Azam made a 62-ball 54 for his twenty sixth ODI half-century to information Pakistan to 287-6 in 50 overs.
Opener Tom Blundell hit 65 for New Zealand whereas debutant Cole McConchie struck an undefeated 45-ball 64 however the customer was bowled out for 261 in 49.1 overs.
Pakistan, which gained the primary two matches by 5 and 7 wickets respectively in Rawalpindi, took an unassailable 3-0 lead within the five-match collection.
“It’s always a relief when you win a series and it was a good team effort,” stated Azam. “We put (on) a good total and then (the) bowlers were outstanding.
“The focus is now to not relax and come out strongly for the next two matches and hopefully we can continue to give one hundred percent.”
The final two matches are on Friday and Sunday, additionally in Karachi.
Pakistan’s final ODI collection win over New Zealand was in 2011 and since then it had misplaced six of the seven collection, with one drawn.
New Zealand threatened to run away with a win as Blundell and Will Young (33 off 41 balls) gave it a assured opening stand of 83 in 15.3 overs.
Pakistan lastly broke by with Young’s run out off a direct throw from brief third-man, earlier than Mohammad Wasim dismissed Daryl Mitchell for 21 — the person who had hit successive lots of within the final two matches.
Fifteen runs later, Blundell was additionally run out after failing to achieve his crease in an try to finish a second run. He hit seven boundaries in his knock.
Tom Latham, who made 45, and Mark Chapman (13) added 40 for the fourth wicket however pacer Naseem Shah bowled Chapman with a lovely supply earlier than Latham was cleaned up by Wasim.
McConchie tied valiantly to grab a victory for New Zealand, smashing two sixes and 6 fours however ran out of companions.
Naseem, Wasim and Shaheen Shah Afridi all took two wickets for Pakistan.
“The pitch probably slowed up a little bit,” stated New Zealand captain Latham. “If we had a couple of partnerships here and there then things could have been a little different but we were not quite at our best.”
Earlier, New Zealand began properly by getting the in-form opener Fakhar Zaman caught off Matt Henry for 19.
Zaman, who had scored three lots of in his final three ODI innings, had formed up properly earlier than his fall, leaving it to Haq and Azam to regular the innings throughout their 108-run second-wicket stand.
Azam hit three fours and a six earlier than he chopped one onto his stumps off Henry.
Haq was bowled by pacer Adam Milne within the thirty eighth over.
Abdullah Shafique struggled once more as he managed simply 19, however Agha Salman (31) helped Mohammad Rizwan (32) add 54 runs for the fifth wicket to raise the full.
In the ultimate overs, Mohammad Nawaz and Shadab Khan additionally chipped in with 11 and 21 not out respectively.
Henry was one of the best bowler for New Zealand, taking 3-54.
Source: sportstar.thehindu.com