PAK VS NZ ODI: Following their triumph over New Zealand in the first One Day International (ODI), Pakistani fans eagerly await the green shirts’ second victory at Pindi Stadium in Rawalpindi.
Watch PAK vs NZ ODI Live Match Streaming at ARY ZAP
The first PAK vs NZ ODI took place on Thursday at the Pindi Cricket Stadium. Pakistan’s captain, Babar Azam, won the toss and chose to bowl first.
New Zealand batted first and managed to post a respectable total on the scoreboard, thanks to outstanding performances by Daryl Mitchell and Will Young, who scored a century and a half-century respectively.
Mitchell scored an impressive 113 runs off 115 balls, including 11 boundaries and a six. Meanwhile, Young contributed 86 runs off just 78 deliveries, featuring eight boundaries and two sixes.
However, the target set by New Zealand proved inadequate for their bowlers to defend against Pakistan’s dominant openers, Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq.
Fakhar Zaman continued his exceptional form, scoring his second consecutive century and emerging as Pakistan’s highest scorer in the chase. He accumulated 117 runs off 114 balls, hitting 13 boundaries and a six.
On the other hand, Imam scored 60 runs off 65 deliveries, with five boundaries and a maximum. Pakistan’s commanding performance resulted in a five-wicket victory over New Zealand in the first match of the PAK vs NZ ODI series.
This win marked Pakistan’s 500th international victory in the 50-Overs format, achieved in their 949th ODI fixture. Pakistan became the third team, after India and Australia, to reach this milestone.
Interestingly, this significant victory came against the same team with whom Pakistan played their inaugural limited-overs match in 1973. Along the way, the Men in Green also secured an ODI World Cup title in 1992, led by Imran Khan as captain.
The two teams will now face each other in the second match of the five-match ODI series at the same venue on April 29 before the action moves to the National Bank Cricket Arena in Karachi, where the remaining three ODIs will take place.
Pakistan Squad:
Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Haris Sohail, Ihsanullah, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim, Naseem Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood and Usama Mir.
New Zealand Squad:
Tom Latham (c), Henry Nicholls, Tom Blundell, Cole McConchie, Daryl Mitchell, Rachin Ravindra, Ish Sodhi, Will Young, Chad Bowes, Ben Lister, Adam Milne, James Neesham, Henry Shipley, Blair Tickner
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