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Fiery spells from pacers Jacob Duffy and Kyle Jamieson did not allow a new-look Pakistan led by Salman Agha to kickstart their new era with their fearless cricket as intended and the visitors were crushed by nine wickets in the first T20I on Sunday.
Now, with this win, Kiwis are 1-0 up in the five-match T20I series. After bundling Pakistan out for just 91 runs in 18.4 overs, NZ chased it down in just 10.1 overs with just one wicket lost. NZ won the toss and elected to field first. Jamieson and Duffy unleashed a reign of terror on Pakistani batters, as they sunk to 11/4 in 4.4 overs, with their key batters including Mohammad Haris (0) and Shadab Khan (6) gone. Skipper Salman Agha (18 in 20 balls, with two fours) and Khushdil Shah (32 in 30 balls, with three sixes) put on a bit of a fight with a 46-run stand, however, Ish Sodhi opened the floodgates for another collapse. Pakistan was skittled out for just 91 runs, with Jahandad Khan (17) saving Pakistan from some extra embarrassment. Jamieson (3/8 in four overs) and Duffy (4/14 in 3.4 overs) were the top bowlers for Kiwis. Sodhi (2/27) and Zakary Foulkes (1/11) also bowled well. This was Pakistan's lowest total in NZ, outdoing their 101 against Kiwis at Wellington back in 2016. During the run-chase, Kiwis started out with a bang, with the pair of Finn Allen and Tim Seifert dealing in fours and sixes. At the end of powerplay, NZ was 53/1 as compared to Pakistan's 14/4. Spinner Abrar had removed Seifert for 44 in 29 balls, with seven fours and a six. Allen (29* in 17 balls, with two fours and two sixes) and Tim Robinson (18* in 15 balls, with a six) took NZ to a win with 59 balls and nine wickets in hand. Jamieson won the 'Player of the Match' award for his tight bowling. (ANI)
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