Match Recap: Pakistan vs New Zealand, 4th T20:

Pakistan vs New Zealand A great performance from New Zealand’s bowling attack, predominantly the pace duo of Will O’Rourke and Ben Sears, saw them control Pakistan by four runs and take a 2-1 lead in the series.

Pakistan vs New Zealand Match Highlights:

Toss: Pakistan won the toss and chose to bowl with five changes in their squad.
New Zealand landed the telling early shocks as Tim Robinson and Tom Blundell put the bowlers to the rapier in the powerplay, racing to 56 in the first five overs.
The removal of Blundell saw Pakistan harness New Zealand somewhat, but Robinson’s fiery knock before Abbas Afridi removed him put New Zealand in a strong position at the halfway point of the inning.
New Zealand did drop their way at the death, as Imad and Amir did well, but the competence of their derbies confirmed that they had put up just about enough to keep Pakistan at the inlet.
Abbas Afridi picked up two wickets in two balls in the 19th over.
A mix of cutters, hard lengths, and perfect Yorkers saw Abbas take two and concede just five as New Zealand continued to be dragged back. In the end, Pakistan controlled the situation, and New Zealand ended on 178/8 in 20 overs.
In pursuit of a target of 179, Pakistan lost early wickets, collapsing to 46 for 3 before the powerplay was over. Only a forceful performance by New Zealand’s old rival, Fakhar Zaman, saved the game for Pakistan. Fakhar marked his return to the smashed three sixes along the way, but when a racy Iftikhar Ahmed and he chopped in consecutive overs, Pakistan’s chance was stuck down.
Pakistan saved the game alive till the very last ball, thanks to Imad Wasim. A cautious final over from Jimmy Neesham, in which he had to secure 17, finished with Pakistan needing six off the final ball, and a swept blow behind point was not enough to pull off the attack.

Pakistan vs New Zealand 2nd T20:

Key Performance:

William O’Rourke (Man of the Match): Bowled very well and took 3 wickets.
Tim Robinson: His 51 runs on 36 balls helped New Zealand score 178 against Pakistan.
Abbas Afridi: In death, he packed New Zealand with figures of 3/20 in 3 overs.

Pakistan vs New Zealand 3rd T20:

Conclusion:

The inexperienced New Zealand squad is playing brilliant cricket, and New Zealand management is happy that their young players are playing very well, which is a positive sign for them ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024. What happened to Pakistan? They need to read about the pitch very well because, in Rawalpindi, chasing is easy, but in Lahore, things are different because bowls are gripped after 8 to 9 overs. We see in the match that after a good start of 12 RPO in overs by New Zealand, they felt difficulty in the middle and death overs. Pakistan needs to win their last match to draw the series.
The result earned New Zealand a 2-1 series lead with one more game left to play. The next game will be held in Lahore on Saturday evening.
Stay tuned for more Pakistan vs. New Zealand action and updates from Uzair Updates!