Pakistan were all out at 192 in the 42nd over, with Razzaq being the high scorer for the team at 62.
Earlier, New Zealand had made 302 for 7 against Pakistan after captain Daniel Vettori won the toss and elected to bat.
End of live updates
Forty-second over
Oram bowling the over.
Razzaq exits, Oram takes the catch in the deep. He tried to get one away for six. Razzaq scored 62 runs off 74 balls.
Shoaib Akhar is gone! Tried to get one away, but is caught by McCullum. Pakistan all out at 192 runs.
Forty-first over
McCullum continues. Razzaq and Gul going for the singles every chance they get. Four runs off the over, Pakistan are 191/8.
Fortieth over
Styris bowling his fourth over. Just four runs off the over Pakistan are 187/8, require 116 off 60 balls.
Thirty-ninth over
No stopping Umer Gul, he smashes McCullum for four.
Eight runs from the over. Pakistan are 183/8.
Thirty-eighth over
Oram bowling his tenth over.
Umer Gul plays one down leg and gets four for it. Ten runs off the over. Pakistan are 175/8.
Thirty-seventh over
Razzaq smashes Mills for four and reaches his 50!
Umer Gul also wants in on the action, smashes one for four.
Gul smashes one for six straight down the ground!
Seventeen runs off the over. Pakistan are 165/8.
Thirty-sixth over
Oram begins the over, bowling to Umer Gul.
Edged over thee keeper's head again, Razzaq gets four more!
Six off the over. Pakistan are 148/8.
Thirty-fifth over
Razzaq smashes Mills for four. He is now batting at 39 runs off 54 balls.
And another one, Razzaq hits another four. He is trying to keep Pakistan in the game, run rate over 10.5 now. Pakistan are 142/8.
Thirty-fourth over
Pakistan have taken their Batting Powerplay.
Razzaq smashes Oram for four!
Five runs off the over. Pakistan are 132/8.
Thirty-third over
McCullum continues. The required run rate is 9.94.
Appeal against Abdur Rehman for leg before, the umpire says it's out! Rehman goes for the review. And he is out!
Umer Gul comes in to bat.
Thirty-second over
Styris bowling his third over.
Razzaq smashes him away for four! And he reaches 5000 ODI runs as well!
Another four! This one smashed straight down the ground. Razzaq starting to hit out now.
Nine runs off the over. Pakistan are now 124/7.
Thirty-first over
McCullum continues.
Razzaq pays that down leg and gets four for it. Seven off the over, Pakistan are now 115/7.
Thirtieth over
Styris bowling his second over. Just two off it. Pakistan are 108/7
Twitter Buzz:
GuzaGuzinski2 Cumberland Sausage Been out all morning. Nice to see Pakistan having their usual 'self-destruction' moment! Still think they could win the #wc2011 though.
pd4wg4life Parag Patel✔ "Pak here it comes the 4th consecutive win for you. Sigh! jk"
Twenty-ninth over
McCullum to Akmal. Akmal gone! Tries to smash it away but finds Oram instead.
Akmal scored 38 off 58 balls. Abdur Rehman replaces Akmal.
McCullum bowls a wide, Pakistan get four runs out of it.
Pakistan are now 106/7.
Twenty-eighth over
Scott Styris replaces Franklin. Just one off the over, good start. Pakistan are 102/6.
Twenty-seventh over
Nathan McCullum into the attack.
Pakistan reach the 100 mark.
Quick single, Razzaq slides in. There is a run out chance! Umpire goes upstairs. And it's not out.
Earlier, speaking to The Express Tribune, Kamran Akmal had said that he was trying his best behind the stumps and with the bat.
“I’m trying my best for the team,” Akmal told The Express Tribune. “Every player commits a few mistakes and faces difficulties during his career.
“I’m trying to get through this phase and improve my performance.”
Just two runs off the over. Pakistan are 101/6.
Twenty-sixth over
Umar Akmal smashes Franklin for four! Akmal also says a few words to the bowler before walking back to his crease, looks like he is trying to make the most of this.
Six runs from the over. Pakistan are 99/6.
Twenty-fifth over
Southee bowling his eighth over. Just one run off the over. New Zealand were 99/2 at this point. Pakistan are 93/6.
Twenty-fourth over
Franklin to Umar Akmal, smashed for four!
Just five runs off the over. Pakistan are 92/6.
Twenty-third over
Southee bowling his seventh over. New Zealand bowlers have really done a good job here, their fielding has been tight as well.
Pakistan are 87/6.
Twenty-second over
Oram bowling the over. Four runs off it. Umar Akmal is batting at 23 off 39 balls, Razzaq at 7 off 12 balls. Pakistan are 83/6.
Twenty-first over
James Frankin bowls the over. Just three runs off the over. Pakistan are 79/6.
Twentieth over
Jacob Oram bowling the over.
Umar Akmal drives that one straight down the ground for three runs.
Pakistan are now 76/6.
Ninteenth over
James Franklin bowling the over. Three runs off it.
Pakistan are 73/6.
Eighteenth over
Oram to Afridi, gone! Afridi is bowled off the first ball by Oram. Pakistan in deep trouble now.
Oram to Razzaq, four runs for over throw!
Pakistan are 70/6.
Seventeenth over
Franklin to Afridi, smashed for six!
Eight off the over. Pakistan are 66/5.
Sixteenth over
Afridi smashes Oram for four! And another one! Afridi gets two fours off two balls.
Expensive over for New Zealand, eleven off it. Pakistan are 57/5.
Fifteenth over
Southee bowling.
Faras Ghani, editor for the Sports pages of The Express Tribune, reporting from the stadium has told us that Vettori has injured his right knee. The New Zealand media manager has told him that Vettori has an ice pack on his knee and is being assessed at the moment.
Mibah is gone! Styrus takes the catch. He is gone for seven runs off 31 balls. Enter Afridi.
Twitter buzz:
hiranajam hiranajam Pakistan doing what it does best: disappoint after an extreme high.
QuarkNinja Manindra Everytime I refresh the cricinfo page, a Pakistani wicket falls. I've waited my whole life for this moment... :P
Pakistan are 46/5
Fourteenth over
Jacob Oram continues.
Oram to Akmal, appeal for LBW! Umpire rejects it, the team decides against going for a review.
Pakistan are 45/4.
Thirteenth over
Southee bowling the over. New Zealand are into their third over of the Bowling Powerplay.
Misbah takes a quick single.
Southee to Akmal, top edged over the keeper's head for four!
Pakistan are now 44/4.
Pakistan require another 259 runs with 6 wickets and 37 overs remaining
Twelfth over
Oram to Misbah, LBW appeal. The umpire rejects it, the New Zealand team want a reviewl. Missing leg, original decision stands.
Pakistan are 38/4
Eleventh over
Mills to Misbah, that one goes past the wicket-keeper for four. Umpire signals leg-bye.
Five runs off the over. Pakistan are now 35/4
Tenth over
Jacob Oram comes into the attack, bowling to Misbah. Just two runs off the over. Pakistan are 30/4.
Ninth over
Mills bowling to Misbah.
Just one run off the over. Pakistan are 28/4.
Eighth over
Southee to Akmal, and he is gone! Ross Taylor takes the catch! Everything seems to be falling apart for Pakistan.
Umar Akmal replaces his brother.
Twitter buzz:
afshankhoja Afshan Khoja does younis do anything for the team any more? Other than just look disgruntled!
farhan_saya Farhan Saya What hurts is Taylor caught Kakmal out.... given how many lives he gave thats just being selfish!!
ssathishkumars sathish kumar kamran dropped taylor ....but taylor won't....pak wobbling
Pakistan 27/4
Seventh over
Mills to Shehzad, LBW appeal and he's gone! No review taken.
Vettori appears to be leaving the stadium.
Younis Khan replaces Shehzad.
Younis Khan is gone! Bowled by Mills. Pakistan are in trouble here.
Misbah replaces Younis Khan.
Sixth over
Southee to Akmal, goes for four! That was a close one, Vettori almost caught it there. He looked like he hurt himself there, back up.
Southee to Kamran Akmal, back to the bowler and dropped.
Vettori is hobbling off the field, Kane Williamson replaces him.
Pakistan are 23/1
Fifth over
Mills to Shehzad, one run. Three runs off the over.
Pakistan are 16/1
Fourth over
First ball, Southee to Akmal. Southee appeals for a caught behind, rejected.
Kamran Akmal seems to be quite confident being defensive. Maiden from Southee.
Pakistan are 13/1
Third over
Kyle mills bowling the over.
Ahmed Shehzad flicks that one for two. Time Southee manages to stop it just short of the boundary saving two.
Shehzad smacks one for four off the last ball.
Pakistan are 13/1
Second over
Tim Southee bowls to Shehzad and Hafeez. LBW appeal by Southee for Hafeez. Umpire's original decision is out. Decision reviewed, and original upheld by umpire.
Two runs off the last ball. Pakistan are 7/1
Pakistan 5/1
Second innings begin: First over
Fast bowler Kyle Mills bowls to Muhammad Hafeez and Ahmed Shehzad.
Second ball cleared over the boundary for a four by Hafeez! We need plenty more of those if we're going to win this, boys.
Pakistan are 5/0 at the end of the over.
End of first innings
Extraordinary hitting with a cracked bat by New Zealand birthday boy Ross Taylor helped his team pile on an amazing 85 runs in 3.4 overs and reach 302-7 in their World Cup match against Pakistan on Tuesday.
Taylor was given two 27th birthday gifts, dropped on zero and eight off Shoaib Akhtar, before unleashing some of the most incredible slugging ever inflicted on an attack in a one-day international cricket match never mind the World Cup.
He thumped eight fours and seven sixes in his unbeaten knock of 131 scored off 124 balls in the Group A match.
In one brutal over, the 35-year-old Pakistan paceman Shoaib was struck for three sixes and two fours in one over as Taylor raced passed three figures in 117 balls.
That over cost Shoaib 28 runs. More was to come. Having figured in half-century stands with Martin Guptill (57) and Scott Styris (28), he paired up with Jacob Oram (25 off nine balls) to power 85 off 22 balls. In all, New Zealand blasted 92 runs off the last four overs.
Pakistan v New Zealand World Cup scoreboard
New Zealand
M. Guptill b Afridi 57
B. McCullum b Akhtar 6
J. How lbw b Gul 4
R. Taylor not out 131
J. Franklin lbw b Hafeez 1
S. Styris lbw b Gul 28
N. McCullum b Gul 19
J. Oram c Gul b Rehman 25
K. Mills not out 7
Extras: (lb10, nb3, w11) 24
Total: (for seven wkts; 50 overs) 302
Fall of wickets: 1-8 (B. McCullum), 2-55 (How), 3-112 (Guptill), 4-113 (Franklin), 5-175 (Styris), 6-210 (N. McCullum), 7-295 (Oram)
Bowling: Akhtar 9-0-70-1 (nb3, w3), Rehman 10-0-60-1 (w1), Gul 10-1-32-3 (w2), Razzaq 4-0-49-0 (w4), Afridi 10-0-55-1, Hafeez 7-0-26-1 (w1)
50th over
Rehman bowls the last over to Taylor and Oram.
Oram whacks two sixes and then gets caught out on mid-on by Umar Gul. Well played, Oram!
Kyle Mills comes to the crease.
Last ball of the over: Single taken by Mills.
At the end of the first innings, NZ are 302/7.
Glad it's over, couldn't bare to watch anymore.
Twitter update:
kaalakawaa Kala Kawa Dear Ross Taylor, Please drink Shahid Afridi's tears on your way to the dressing room. Much love.
NadeemfParacha Nadeem F. Paracha THUD!! That was Pak team being hit out of Sri Lanka and back to Pakistan.
HumaImtiaz Huma Imtiaz Paralyzed with horror. Never thought I'd seen rape being broadcast on TV before. #CWC2011
49th over
Razzaq bowls to Taylor and Oram. And the first ball is whacked for four by Taylor! The Kiwis are collecting runs and playing some marvelous cricket.
Taylor is going all out as he whacks another six! Razzaq is being annihilated, just like Akhtar. I'd like to pause here and attribute this to Kamran Akmal who dropped Taylor and gave him a second chance.
Another six from Taylor! This is magnificent cricket from the Kiwis. NZ are now 270/6.
Wide bowled by Razzaq. Can this over please end?
Taylor whacks another four!
And Taylor whacks a six on the last ball!
NZ are 283/6 at the end of the over
Twitter buzz:
kaalakawaa Kala Kawa This match. This is what a nervous breakdown looks like in cricket form.
AsadHashim Asad Hashim Ah - ICC donates Rs2500 for each six hit in this World Cup. Shoaib was only thinking of the children...the little, little children.
48th over
Rehman bowls to Taylor and Oram. Oram whacks a four!
And proceeds to whack a huge six!
Pakistan are losing this game, pretty helpless at this point. NZ are 253/6 at the end of the over
47th over
Akhtar bowls the over to Taylor and Jacob Oram (new man in). Taylor whacks a four! And a six. And another one. Taylor's on fire! He damages Akhtar again with a four. Taylor inches closer to his 100 mark.
Wide delivery bowled by Akhtar.
And the last ball is also whacked for a six by Taylor! Happy Birthday Taylor! There's his 100.
Wow. Akhtar is being destroyed. 21 runs off 5 deliveries this over. 63 runs in nearly 9 overs, one wicket taken.238/6
46th over
Gul bowls to Nathan and Taylor. What a massive six hit by Nathan! The Kiwis are on fire and Pakistan are looking devastated.
Gul takes a wicket! He bowls Nathan out on the second last delivery, NZ are now 210/6
Twitterciation:
45th over
Afridi's final over! He bowls to Nathan and Taylor. And Nathan whacks it for a six! Afridi looks disappointed.
And Taylor whacks another six! The Kiwis are looking good in their final overs, NZ 202/5 at the end of the over
Afridi gave 55 runs in his 10 overs and took 1 wicket.
44th over
Gul bowls the over to Nathan and Taylor. Nathan whacks it for a four! The Kiwis are fighting back.
Fifth delivery bowled wide by Gul, next delivery earns the Kiwis a single.
At the end of the over, NZ are 188/5
Tribune's sports editor Faras Ghani tells us (from Pallekele) that the Sri Lankans in the crowd are cheering both teams on enthusiastically.
"They want more boundaries and more Afridi," (Ghani)
On a side note, here's someone crushing on the McCullums:
parishna Pari oh yeah, its 4! its 4! its 4 more to the total, baby. its nathan! just as cute as brenden ;) but not quite #CWC2011
43rd over
Afridi bowls to Taylor and Nathan McCullum (new man in). NZ are 180/5 at the end of the over.
Twitter buzz after Styris' dismissal:
42nd over
Gul bowls to Taylor and Styris. Singles picked up by Styris and Taylor. Big shout for a LBW as Styris (28) is at the crease. Umpire raises his finger. NZ are 175/5, Kiwis take too long for review request so Harper sticks to his original verdict.
41st over
Afridi bowls to Taylor and Styris as Queen's "We will rock you" blares in the stadium.
And Styris whacks it for a four! Afridi has a chat with the umpire, pats him on the shoulder.
Another powerful hit by Styris that almost makes it to the boundary.
NZ are 173/4 at the end of the over.
40th over
Gul bowls to Taylor and Styris. At the end of the over, NZ 163/4
Here's (yesterday's) The Express Tribune's exclusive with K Akmal:
Under-fire Pakistan wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal responded to his critics and said that he was trying his best behind the stumps and with the bat. The 29-year-old’s performance was questioned once again after the wicket-keeper missed several chances in the match against Sri Lanka but has scored 110 runs in the three matches of the World Cup.
“I’m trying my best for the team,” Akmal told The Express Tribune. “Every player commits a few mistakes and faces difficulties during his career"
39th over
Rehman bowls to Taylor and Styris. Styris hits the second delivery into the air but no one is there to catch it.
At the end of the over, NZ are 160/4.
38th over
Gul bowls to Taylor (53) and Styris (18). Second last delivery bowled wide. 15th extra delivery this innings.
At the end of the over, NZ are 155/4
37th over
Rehman bowls to Taylor and Stryris. NZ are 150/4 at the end of the over. Come on, Pakistan! Make this entertaining.
36th over
Hafeez to Taylor and Styris. NZ are 147/4 at the end of the over.
Comment on this post:
opinionated: can someone give akmal some super glue!
Twitter buzz:
MirzaWaheed Mirza WaheedAnd Kamran #Akmal's proposed autobiography tentatively titled: Drop Dead Gorgeous: My Life and Leaks Behind the Wicket.
35th over
Rehman bowls to Taylor and Styris. And Taylor makes a 50! Congratulations to the Kiwis.
Four runs from the over, NZ are 141/4
34th over
Hafeez bowls to Taylor and Styris. NZ are 137/4 at the end of the over.
33rd over
Afridi bowls to Taylor and Styris. NZ are 135/4 at the end of the over.
Drinks break and Twitter update:
zaheerana zaheerana Amazing that #Akmal still keeps his blabbering after having drooped 3 catches in #Pakistan vs #NZ
RiazH Hammad Riaz What the hell #KamranAkmal doing?? So many dropped catches in the innings?This can't b professional cricket can it?
32nd over
Hafeez bowls to Styris and Taylor, Taylor's on 42 runs and nearing a half century.
NA are 131/4 at the end of the over.
31st over
Afridi bowls the over. Second ball hit by Taylor, lands between two fielders and Shahzad doesn't catch it.
Afridi looks disappointed as the ball clears the boundary for a four. This is Taylor's fourth boundary.
NZ 126/4 at the end of the over.
Twitter buzz:
CorneredTigers CorneredTigers Afridi 5 wicket haul today? I reckon he will get 3 or 4 today!#cwc2011 #pakistan #Cricket
30th over
Hafeez bowls to Franklin and Taylor. LBW given by umpire to Franklin, decision reviewed and Harper confirms original decision! Franklin out on 1 run, NZ are 120/4
Scott Styris is the new man on the crease. Gets a quick single on the second delivery.
Overthrow by Younus Khan who dived to catch the ball. And extra few runs!
NZ are 119/4 at the end of the over.
Twitter buzz:
29th over
Afridi bowls to Guptill and Taylor. And Guptill is bowled by Afridi! What a beautiful delivery that was. James Franklin is the new batsman in.
NZ are 113/3 at the end of the over.
28th over
Spinner Hafeez bowls to Taylor and Guptill.
Possible run out of Ross Taylor. Replay shows Taylor was way in the crease despite Umar Akmal's direct hit at the stumps.
NZ are 111/2 at the end of the over.
Twitter update:
BFInnoBystander I B Umar says to Kakmal, sorry Bro needed to do it for family honour....#cricket #cwc2011
27th over
Afridi bowls the over to Taylor and Guptill. Bring on the Boom Boom magic, skipper! We need to get those wickets falling.
Taylor-Guptill have made a 50 run partnership! Congratulations to the Kiwis.
At the end of the over, NZ are 106/2.
26th over
Hafeez bowls to the over to Guptill and Taylor. And the 100 is up for New Zealand.
At the end of the over. NZ are 101/2.
Twitter update:
cricketbetting Ed Hawkins by ajeebshakhs If this proves to be Pakistan's first bad effort of #cwc2011, don't take it to heart. It's quite, quite normal
25th over
Afridi bowls to Taylor and Guptill.
Spotted: Chacha Cricket dancing and cheering (I think he's missed Akmal's abysmal keeping).
NZ are 99/2 at the end of the over
24th over
Spinner Hafeez bowls to Guptill and Taylor.
Congratulations to Guptill on his 50 runs off 71 deliveries (he's hit three 4's)
Two runs off the over, 94/2
23rd over
Afridi bowls to Taylor and Guptill. Two runs of the over, and NZ are 93/2 at the end of the over.
Twitter buzz:
zaheerana zaheerana Fully endorse it that he is dropped by #Pakistan from #cwc2011 RT @mahobili: if u cant get Guptill out, at least get rid of #Akmal
22nd over
Razzaq bowls to Guptill and Taylor. Guptill is 2 runs away from a 50. Anothe four by New Zealand.
"Akmal should have stopped that," says Ramiz Raja.
Sigh... if wishes were horses.
NZ 91/2 at the end of the over.
21st over
Finally Afridi comes to bowl. Boom Boom bowls to Guptill and Taylor. Let the wickets tumble!
At the end of the over, NZ are 83/2
20th over
Razzaq bowls to Guptill and Taylor. Taylor hits a beautiful boundary, that's four more runs for NZ. At the end of the over, 81/2
"I think 250 woud be a good total here," says Ramiz Raja
19th over
Gul bowls to Taylor and Guptill. NZ are 74/2 at the end of the over.
More Twittercism for K Akmal's terrible wicket keeping:
cricsis Shridhar Jaju Kakmal's favourite pickup line - "Can I DROP you home??"
cricsis Shridhar Jaju I don't know if Kakmal has a child... but if he does, he should definitely not play with the poor child... Might be fatally dangerous !!
cricsis Shridhar Jaju Kakmal has provided more entertainment in these few balls than How would have provided even if he had batted 50 overs...
18th over
Akhtar bowls to Guptill and Taylor.
He has been an expensive bowler giving 41 in about eight overs with three no-balls and one wide. If K Akmal continues to fumble, pressure will mount on Shoaib and we'll probably see an onslaught of extras.
NZ are 72/2 at the end of the over.
17th over
Second Powerplay is over. Umar Gul bowls to Guptill and Taylor. No runs so far except a single on the last delivery. NZ are 70/2 at the end of the over.
Twitter praise for Gul:
16th over
Akhtar bowls to Guptill and Taylor. NZ are 69/2 as Guptill nears his half century. Disappointing fielding all around by Team Green.
Commentator: "If Pakistan do win the World Cup, at least they now know who not to hand the trophy to, while celebrating :)" Kamran Akmal is displaying some shoddy wicket keeping.
15th over
Gul bowls to Guptill and Taylor. Guptill whacks the fourth ball for a four.
Twitter anger at Akmal:
kaalakawaa Kala Kawa FAKMAL. YOU PIECE OF ****.
HumaImtiaz Huma Imtiaz Fakmal, please die painfully.
dogonboat Ali Syed Pakistan's weakest link = Kamran Akmal. He needs to be let go..#Pakistan #cricket #cwc2011 #cwc
cpyala Cafe Pyala What do #Fakmal and Michael Jackson have in common? They both wear gloves for no apparent reason!
Nadir_Hassan Nadir Hassan For the first of dozens of times today: "That's gone past the keeper"
14th over
Akhtar bowls to Taylor. Another four as Kamran Akmal (aka Dropmal) and the slip both fail to catch that ball. Terrible fielding, Greens.
And Akmal drops another one! What is even going on with him? Oily gloves? NZ are 64/2
Happy Birthday Taylor! This is your day.
13th over
Gul bowls the over. How out after making 4 runs! LBW given by umpire and NZ are 56/2
Ross Taylor is the new batsman on the crease.
12th over
Abdur Razzaq bowls to Guptill and How. Guptill clears the first ball for a four! Come on, Razzaq! Get some wickets tumbling.
Guptill whacks another boundary on the fourth delivery. NZ are 54/1 at the end of the over.
Side note: Shoaib Akhtar is trending on Twitter!
Rimdiq Rimsha Siddique He better start taking wickets to justify that!! RT @graphicalxShoaib Akhtar going higher in international trends
adeel_hasan Adeel Hasan Shoaib Akhtar - hope your clumsyness does not costs us!#Pakistan #Cricket #ShoaibAkhtar
MOHAMMED_umar MOHAMMED Umar Khan by Mahdiya Untidy Stuff From Pakistan. Especially Shoaib Akhtar. He has Gifted 22 Extra Runs so Far. No Balls, Free Hits, Over Throws & Wides #cwc2011
11th over
Fast bowler Umar Gul bowls his first over of the innings to How and Guptill. Good over from Gul! NZ are 45/1 at the end of the over.
10th over
Spinner Rehman bowls to Guptill and How. NZ are 45/1 at the end of the over.
Twitter buzz:
mattys123 Matthew Smith NZ have made a good start vs Pakistan, at least this match should be a close contest
Ninth over
Fast bowler Akhtar bowls to Guptill and How. Another no-ball bowled by Akhtar! What is going on? Time for a free-hit. Guptill hits it for a four!
"Shoaib Akhtar clearly being penalised for his shoddy work," says Ramiz Raja.
Wide bowled on the last ball! NZ are 41/1
Funn Tweets about Jamie How:
mirza9 Shaheryar Mirza Jamie Who? RT @tazeen: RT @sehwagology his name should be changed to Jamie Why
Eight over
Spinner Rehman bowls to How and Guptill.
Still not over Akhtar's useless overthrow, how terribly frustrating. NZ are 34/1 at the end of the over.
Seventh over
Fast bowler Akhtar bowls to Guptill and How. Opportunity for a catch out, but Younus Khan disappoints Akhtar as he misses the ball and its runs to the boundary for four.
Needless overthrow on the last ball of the over! Akhtar throws the ball... straight to the boundary! "Needless" throw, NZ are 30/1 at the end of the over.
Sixth over
Spinner Rehman bowls to Guptill and How. NZ are 22/1 at the end of the over.
Twitter reaction to no-ball called earlier in Akhtar's over:
kaalakawaa Kala Kawa Not a no-ball. This is Nigel Llong's revenge for all those referrals the other day.
Fifth over
Fast bowler Akhtar bowls to How and Guptill. NZ 21/1 at the end of the over
Appreciation for Akhtar on Twitter:
cwcscores: Shoaib Akhtar has started really well here today. He is bowling with plenty of pace and aggression #cwc2011
Fourth over
Spinner Rehman bowls to How and Guptill.
Sports editor of The Express Tribune Faras Ghani is at the Pallekele Stadium and tells us the local crowd outnumbers either teams supporters by a huge margin and that every good shot, delivery is being cheered despite the sweltering heat.
At the end of the over, NZ are 20/1
Third over
Fast bowler Akhtar bowls to How and Guptill. Guptill takes a single on the second delivery.
Official commentator "Shoaib is bowling at great length,".
Wasim Akram recalls Jayawardene's wicket taken by Akhtar in Pakistan's match against Sri Lanka.
No ball called on last delivery (although it looked just fine, his foot was on the crease) and Guptill clears it over the boundary for a four.
At the end of the over, NZ are 16/1
Second over
Left arm spinner Abdur Rehman bowls to How and Guptill. One run taken by Guptill on first delivery. NZ are 9/1 at the end of the over.
First over
Fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar bowls to McCullum and Guptill with two slips in place. No ball called on third delivery, McCullum gets a free hit. And he whacks it for a six!
McCullum bowled out by Akhtar! Splendid delivery by the Rawalpindi Express.
Jamie How comes to the crease in place of the dismissed batsman. NZ are 8/1 at the end of the over.
Here's the Twitter buzz:
gypsybrook Sarah Ahmad Today tough match for Pakistan...
aady110 Adnan Kazmy #Pakistan #newzealand match 2 bgn soon !! I believe #razzak shud at 1down instead of #kamran
gypsybrook Sarah Ahmad Haha...it'll be fun to watch either way...my two favorite teams of the tournament:-)..
alynaseer Aly Naseer #Pakistan vs #NZ today will be a gripping encounter, Pak wanting to go more determined, #kiwis out to prove they're not run overs
muneebkh Muneeb Khan @sexyyetpolite I don't think so! #Kiwis are going to witness a thrashing by the men in green #Pakistan at the #cricketworldcup#cwc2011
TheFallen_Angel Syed Salman Akbar #CorneredTigers will have lunch @Pallekele International Cricket Stadium 2mmorow. #Kiwis are on the menu.
ShirazHassan Shiraz Hassan Its green pitch, lets see what Shoaib does here RT @imrana001Well well! #pakistan is bowling first!
Having beaten Kenya, Sri Lanka and Canada, Pakistan have won all three matches so far. The Kiwis, however, have lost to Australia but beaten Zimbabwe and Kenya.
Times of India talks about Shahid Afridi's superb bowling this tournament:
Matches: 3, Overs: 28, Maidens: 3, Runs: 73, Wickets: 14, Best: 5-16, Avg: 5.21, Econ: 2.60
The faster one has terrorised batsman so far while the leg-cutter, the googly and wrong one have been among the other deceiving factors. The way Afridi is going, it looks like he may break the Cup record for the highest wicket-taker in the tournament.
Official commentator Ramiz Raja talks to Afridi after toss and asks, "What are you having for breakfast, wicket biryani?"
Interestingly enough, Yahoo! Sports reports:
Oddly enough, when New Zealand walk out on Tuesday, they'll have a slight edge over Pakistan.
The New Zealanders played a warm-up match at the venue back in August, making them one of the few international sides with experience in Pallekele.
Here are the squads (courtesy cricinfo):
New Zealand (probable) 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Brendon McCullum (wk), 3 Jesse Ryder, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 James Franklin, 6 Scott Styris, 7 Nathan McCullum, 8 Daniel Vettori, 9 Kyle Mills, 10 Tim Southee, 11 Hamish Bennett.
Pakistan (probable) 1 Ahmed Shehzad, 2 Mohammad Hafeez, 3 Kamran Akmal (wk), 4 Younus Khan, 5 Misbahul Haq, 6 Umar Akmal, 7 Abdul Razzaq, 8 Shahid Afridi, 9 Shoaib Akhtar, 10 Abdur Rehman, 11 Umar Gul.
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