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Clinical performances from Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell and Tim Southee helped New Zealand register a comprehensive 46-run victory against Pakistan in the first T20I of the five-match series here at Eden Park on Friday.
New Zealand amassed a huge total on the board, driven by fifties from Daryl Mitchell and captain Kane Williamson. For a short while, Pakistan seemed to be on track in their run chase, but they soon lost momentum and fell short by 46 runs. Chasing a target of 227, Pakistan opener Saim Ayub did wonders for his team as he smashed the first ball of the chase for a boundary before he also hit a six. After the opener hammered Matt Henry with two sixes and a four, he looked set to do plenty of damage in the powerplay. However, Adam Milne's quick work caught the young batter short of his crease as he fell for an 8-ball 27. Unfortunately for Pakistan, they lost Mohammad Rizwan in the powerplay as well even though he seemed in good touch for a little while. After the powerplay, the boundaries flowed for a little while, but New Zealand pulled the game back by pulling wickets slowly but steadily. Fakhar Zaman was sent back to the pavilion by a brilliant one-handed low catch made by Ish Sodhi off his own bowling. Pakistan had to make 92 runs from the last seven overs at that time, which made their chances much more difficult. Former Pakistan skipper Babar Azam tried his hardest, hitting Milne for a six to end the 14th over and then hitting a boundary and another six in the next over to reach fifty. But by eliminating both Azam Khan and Shaheen Afridi, Milne delivered Pakistan a double blow, giving Babar an unlikely assignment. Jamal did swing his bat, but Babar's wicket--followed by Pakistan folding for 180--was the last straw. Earlier, Mitchell and Williamson's half-centuries took the Kiwis to a score of 226 runs. Brief score: New Zealand 226/8 (Daryl Mitchell 61, Kane Williamson 57; Shaheen Afridi 3-46) vs Pakistan 180 (Babar Azam 57; Saim Ayub 27; Tim Southee 4-25). (ANI)
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