PAK vs NZ ODI: The fifth match of the five-game series between Pakistan and New Zealand took place at Pakistan’s home ground. Pakistan had already won the first four matches, and they aimed to continue their winning streak by winning the remaining games. In contrast, New Zealand wanted to recover from their defeat in the fourth ODI and win the fifth match.
Watch PAK vs NZ Live Match HD Streaming at ARY ZAP.
On Friday, during the fourth match of the PAK vs NZ five-match series at the National Stadium Karachi, Pakistan’s captain, Babar Azam, scored his 18th century, leading his team to a significant 102-run victory over New Zealand.
Pakistan secured the top spot in the ODI Team Rankings for the first time in history after their dominant 102-run victory over a struggling New Zealand team.
Despite their captain Tom Latham’s 60, New Zealand’s batting lineup struggled to chase the mammoth target of 335 and got bundled out for a meager 232 in the 43rd over, resulting in a massive 102-run victory for the home team.
New Zealand’s touring side had a careful start to their run chase. Their openers, Will Young (15) and Tom Blundell, scored 36 runs for the first wicket before Mohammad Wasim Jr dismissed the latter in the eighth over.
After the slump, New Zealand captain Latham and Daryl Mitchell formed a vital partnership of 83 runs for the third wicket, looking to anchor their run chase.
The partnership between Latham and Mitchell seemed to have stabilized, and they aimed to increase their run rate. However, Mitchell stumbled against Usama Mir and got dismissed after scoring 34 off 48, including a boundary.
Latham was part of another critical partnership for New Zealand, adding 55 runs to the total with Mark Chapman during their fourth-wicket stand.
The dismissal of Chapman led to a match-defining collapse, and New Zealand was eventually bowled out in the 44th over.
During his sixth-wicket partnership with Iftikhar, the Pakistan skipper made history by becoming the quickest player to score 18 ODI centuries.
PAK vs NZ ODI Schedule
27 Apr – 1st ODI, Rawalpindi
29 Apr – 2nd ODI, Rawalpindi
3 May – 3rd ODI, Karachi
5 May – 4th ODI, Karachi
7 May – 5th ODI, Karachi