Tag: nz

  • Pakistan trounces New Zealand, scores 500th ODI win

    Pakistan trounces New Zealand, scores 500th ODI win

    Pakistan defeated New Zealand by five wickets on Thursday night at the Rawalpindi Pindi Cricket Stadium to register their 500th One-Day International (ODI) victory, becoming the third team in the world to achieve the feat.

    The landmark was achieved after the Green Shirts played 949 50-over matches.

    Pakistan has won 92 ODIs against Sri Lanka, 73 against India, 63 against West Indies, 57 against New Zealand, 54 against Zimbabwe, 34 against Australia, 32 against England, and 32 against Bangladesh.

    Apart from Pakistan, Australia has won 594 50-over matches in 978 fixtures, while India has secured victories in 539 matches in 1,029 fixtures.

    Pakistan was able to register its 500th win with the help of Fakhar Zaman’s blistering knock in the run chase.

    Needing 289 to win, the opening pair of Fakhar and Imam-ul-Haq provided a solid 124-run opening stand. Imam was soon dispatched after scoring his 15th ODI half-century.

    He was trapped leg-before by Ish Sodhi in the 22nd over for 60 after facing 65 balls, which included five fours and one six. After Imam’s departure, Captain Babar Azam and Fakhar got together to add 90 runs for the second wicket and during the course of the partnership player of the match Fakhar also scored his ninth ODI century in the 35th over.

    Babar, who was all set to score big tonight, missed out on his 25th half-century and got caught behind off the bowling of Adam Milne for 49 off 46 balls in the 36th over.

    The top ODI batter in the ICC rankings struck three fours and a six at a strike-rate of 106.52. Milne went on to pick Shan Masood (1, 12b) in the 38th over to put pressure back on the home side, as suddenly the required run-rate climbed to six runs an over with 12 overs remaining. But Fakhar and Rizwan struck five boundaries and a six between them in the next three overs to bring the required rate back to under-five an over.

    Right-arm fast Naseem Shah was the most economical bowler for the hosts, as he gave away only 29 runs off 10 overs and took two wickets – both on the final two balls of the innings.

    Match Highlights
    Pakistan beat New Zealand by five wickets

    New Zealand 288-7, 50 overs (Daryl Mitchell 113, Will Young 86; Naseem Shah 2-29, Shaheen Shah Afridi 2-63, Haris Rauf 2-65)

    Pakistan 291-5, 48.3 overs (Fakhar Zaman 117, Imam-ul-Haq 60, Babar Azam 49, Mohammad Rizwan 42 not out; Adam Milne 2-60)

    Player of the match – Fakhar Zaman (Pakistan)

  • Babar Azam ka match say pehlay 100; Skipper becomes third Pak player to feature in 100th T20I

    Babar Azam ka match say pehlay 100; Skipper becomes third Pak player to feature in 100th T20I

    Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore is all set to host the first T20 International (T20I) match between Pakistan and New Zealand on Friday night. Team Green and the Black Caps are all geared up to put up a brilliant game for their fans.

    When Pakistan captain Babar Azam takes the field on Friday night, he will become the third Pakistan player to feature in 100 Men’s T20Is.

    Shoaib Malik (123) and Mohammad Hafeez (119) are the two other Pakistanis who have reached this milestone in men’s T20Is.

    Fans will be expecting Babar Azam to hit his trademark cover drives and classy shots along with Muhammad Rizwan, his partner in many run chases.

    New Zealand will play five T20Is and five One-Day Internationals (ODI) in Pakistan starting from today.

    New Zealand captain Tom Latham has emphasized that Pakistan have a bunch of match winning players who can lead the team to victory in every sort of conditions.

    The Kiwi captain acknowledged his opponent team’s fast bowlers, quality spinners and a formidable batting lineup that could pose a threat to his team.

    “You can look at everyone across the Pakistan squad, they’ve got guys who bowl fast, quality spinners and obviously with the bat they have many match winners. So we have to play really well to beat them but it is an opportunity that the guys are really looking forward to play against this quality Pakistan side,” he said.

    The 31-year-old is optimistic about his team’s chances in the upcoming T20I series against Pakistan despite the absence of key players due to Indian Premier League (IPL) commitments.

    “Pakistan is a quality side, they have come off the back of their Pakistan Super League (PSL) tournament just recently and they’ve picked guys who are in form, so even though we are missing a few players due to IPL commitments, that presents an opportunity to the other players,” he observed.

    Admitting that some players in the New Zealand team haven’t played “huge amounts of cricket”, Latham stressed that they still have players who have played a lot of T20 cricket.

    “So it is an exciting opportunity for this group to come here and to explore conditions where we haven’t played a lot in before and hopefully we can put up a good performance on the board,” he concluded.

  • Pak vs NZ: PCB announces free tickets for second test

    Pak vs NZ: PCB announces free tickets for second test

    The executive committee of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has decided to waive off entry fee for the second Test match between Pakistan and New Zealand, set to begin on January 2, 2023. A PCB official confirmed the news to GEO News.

    “Free entry for Karachiites in all stands during the second Test, except two VIP ticketed stands. Entry will be on a first come first serve basis,” the official said.

    The cricket board has gotten in touch with educational institutions, orphanages, and nursing homes to invite them to watch the second test.
    The ongoing Test between Pakistan and New Zealand has attracted a limited number of spectators to the stadium.