PAK vs NZ: New Zealand whitewashed Pakistan 3-0 in a one-sided ODI series at the Bay Oval Cricket Stadium on Saturday.
NEW ZEALAND SEAL SERIES CLEAN SWEEP AGAINST PAKISTAN! The hosts turned in another complete team performance, dominating Pakistan throughout the series, even without some of their leading players.
Pakistan’s tour was full of missed chances. They started some games well but couldn’t maintain momentum. Winning just one T20I out of a series with five T20Is and three ODIs reflects a disappointing campaign, leaving much to work on for the visitors.
Pakistan had a steady beginning despite losing Imam early to injury, with Abdullah Shafique and Babar Azam putting on a decent partnership. Unfortunately, Abdullah (33) couldn’t convert his start into a big score, and Babar fell shortly after reaching fifty. It was a key moment that shifted the momentum.
Once Babar was out for 50, Pakistan’s batting collapsed. The runs slowed down, and wickets fell regularly. Mohammad Rizwan (37) and Tayyab Tahir (33) tried to fight back with short contributions, but it wasn’t sufficient to chase the target without more support from the lineup. However, Pakistan were dismissed for only 221 runs and fell short by 43 runs in the match.
Even though New Zealand didn’t get early breakthroughs with the new ball, they made a strong comeback in the middle overs. The pacers were accurate, with Ben Sears leading the way impressively by taking key wickets. Bringing in Daryl Mitchell turned out to be a great move, as he removed the crucial wicket of Babar Azam.
Michael Bracewell and Muhammad Abbas also contributed with a wicket each. Sears ended the innings on a high note, claiming five wickets and making history as the first New Zealander to take consecutive five-wicket hauls in ODIs.
PAK vs NZ: 1st Inning
Earlier, New Zealand posted a competitive score of 264 in this rain-affected match. Michael Bracewell showed leadership skills with a solid fifty, and Rhys Mariu also supported with his first ODI half-century.
The middle order played a key role in maintaining the scoring momentum, with Henry Nicholls making 31, Daryl Mitchell chipping in with 43, Tim Seifert adding 26, and a few others contributing useful runs as well.
On the Pakistan side, Akif Javed impressed with four wickets and Naseem Shah took two. Faheem Ashraf and Sufiyan Muqeem added one wicket each. Though this was a better bowling performance than in the earlier games, they still gave away some runs at the end.
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