In the Pak vs Nz today first T20 clash held at Eden Park, Auckland, Shaheen Afridi faced disappointment in his first assignment as the shortest format captain, with New Zealand emerging victorious by 46 runs.
Despite a strong start from Saim Ayub, who played a remarkable knock of 27 off just 8 balls, Pakistan couldn’t capitalize on the momentum in their chase. The team struggled at 130-4 in 12.4 overs, with Azam Khan’s disappointing performance adding to their troubles.
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Fakhar Zaman (15 off 10), Iftikhar Ahmed (24 off 17), and Azam Khan (10 off 9) underperformed with the bat. Former captain Babar Azam, scoring 57 off 35, tried to anchor the innings, but it wasn’t enough against the formidable target set by the Black Caps.
Tim Southee, celebrating his 150th T20I wicket, claimed three wickets, while Adam Milne and Ben Sears took two each.
In the first innings, New Zealand‘s Daryl Mitchell and Kane Williamson impressed with scores of 57 and 61, respectively. Despite a dropped catch by Babar Azam, Williamson capitalized on the chance, setting the stage for aggressive players like Finn Allen (35 off 15) and Mitchell (61 off 27), who displayed strike rates of 233 and 255.
Mark Chapman, down the order, contributed a quick 26 off 11 deliveries. Pakistan’s bowlers struggled, with Abbas Afridi and Haris Rauf maintaining a decent economy of 8.50 each. Afridi, who started well with a wicket in the first over, later conceded 46 runs while taking three wickets. Aamer Jamal conceded 56, and Usama Mir was hit for 51 runs in four overs.
Pakistan vs New Zealand Playing XI
Pakistan Playing XI:
- Mohammad Rizwan
- Saim Ayub
- Babar Azam
- Fakhar Zaman
- Iftikhar Ahmed
- Azam Khan (wk)
- Aamer Jamal
- Usama Mir
- Shaheen Afridi (c)
- Abbas Afridi
- Haris Rauf
New Zealand Playing XI:
- Finn Allen
- Devon Conway (wk)
- Kane Williamson (c)
- Daryl Mitchell
- Glenn Phillips
- Mark Chapman
- Adam Milne
- Matthew Henry
- Tim Southee
- Ish Sodhi
- Ben Sears
The full schedule includes the 2nd T20 at Seddon Park, Hamilton, on January 14, the 3rd T20 at University Oval, Dunedin, on January 17, and the 4th and 5th T20s at Hagley Oval, Christchurch, on January 19 and 21, 2024, respectively.
