Haseebullah Khan, the Pakistan debutant was not able to cement a strong score in his maiden outing. He was dismissed for a duck by Tim Southee during the first over itself. Babar Azam, however, had a shaky knock before Ish Sodhi got rid of him. New Zealand had the upper hand as they were able to get rid of their star batter.
Before Southee came back once again to dominate, Fakhar enjoyed a match-defining cameo. He was helped out by Mohammad Rizwan, who made a wonderful contribution.
During the stint, Sodhi claimed two wickets, while Southee also claimed two. Henry took two wickets, but in the 19th over, Abbas Afridi hit him for two sixes, which might have tinted his figures a little bit.
Ferguson finished with a handful of wickets and delivered a respectable last over. New Zealand has once again demonstrated their outstanding bowling ability, holding Pakistan to a very modest score of 134.
Pakistan bowlers clinch first T20I victory under Shaheen Shah Afridi
The aim was to bowl with pace and spin off the ball, which Pakistan accomplished brilliantly. They produced 12 overs of spin, with Iftikhar’s three-wicket burst being an added bonus. After losing Rachin Ravindra early, New Zealand faced an uphill battle. In-form batter Finn Allen was a threat, but had to depart after a well-made 22.
Tim Seifert got stuck on a difficult surface as he got out on 19 with a mediocre strike rate of 63. The middle order broke down and couldn’t handle the pressure in the absence of Daryl Mitchell. Despite Glenn Phillips’ valiant effort, the hosts were bundled out for 92 runs. He was playing the lone battle but in the end it was excessive for just one player to handle.
Although they battled decently for most of the game, the visitors managed to accumulate enough pressure on a pitch that was a little sticky and sluggish. Due to this extraordinary spell by the spinners, Pakistan were able to clinch an important 42-run win over New Zealand to take some joy from the T20I series.
Fans react as Pakistan clinch consolation win against New Zealand during 5th T20I in Christchurch: –
First win for Shaheen Shah Afridi as a captain in T20I. ?
Pakistan lost the T20I series 4-1 to New Zealand. pic.twitter.com/ePsfzKqws6
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) January 21, 2024
Finally somehow
Congratulations team— Pawan Kumar ?? (@Prince11R) January 21, 2024
First time no Pakistan batter scored a fifty in this series and Pakistan won ??
— Zuhair (@zuh_dxb) January 21, 2024
Shaheen Afridi wins his first match as Pakistan captain! Pakistan finally get off the mark ??? #NZvsPA
— Zuhair (@zuh_dxb) January 21, 2024
1st win for Pakistan in 2024.
Congratulations Pakistan ??????— Haroon (@itx_haroon_453) January 21, 2024
Whitewash Averted.
— Nirmal Roy (@nroy11) January 21, 2024
Well played
— Mr babarian|BA56?? (@PatternMister) January 21, 2024
Congratulations ?? Shaheen Afridi
— HAFEEZ KHAN (@HAFEEZK51158740) January 21, 2024
Best of luck future ?
— ???? (@ItxSaki) January 21, 2024
New Zealand all out on just 92 runs while chasing 135 runs against Pakistan. Pakistan spinners took 6 wickets of New Zealand while conceding 63 runs in 12 overs.
New Zealand won the series by 4-1
— Shumaila Tanveer (@shumaila56_) January 21, 2024
Hope you better ?
— Kamran Abbasi?? (@Kamran_045) January 21, 2024
After zaka ashraf panoti
— JANNAT (@jannat8062) January 21, 2024
Finally a win against NZ without Williamson, Mitchell, Conway, Milne etc
— Knull (@King_In__Black) January 21, 2024
