Pakistan were the not the best team on the day it mattered the most as they lost the final ODI in Abu Dhabi by 68 runs against New Zealand who bagged the series 3-2 after drawn Tests and T20s.
New Zealand won the toss and put up a 276-run target for Pakistan to chase on a deteriorating Sheikh Zayed Stadium pitch. Captain Kane Williamson lead New Zealand’s cause with 97 off 115 balls while Ross Taylor played an unbeaten 88-run innings. Muhammad Irfan bagged two wickets.
In their chase, Pakistan never seemed like winning and lost wickets at equal intervals. Ahmed Shehzad (54) and Haris Sohail (65) showed some resistance with a 69-run fourth wicket partnership. After Shehzad’s dismissal, Pakistan’s batting lineup crumbled.
However, Shahid Afridi (13) was a satisfied man in the presentation ceremony. “Congratulations to New Zealand on winning the series”, said Afridi.
“We take a lot of positives from the series and overall, the cricket we have played in the last two-three months was great. We need to work on a few areas for the World Cup that is fielding and building partnerships.”
Matt Henry was nominated the man-of-the-match for his five wickets.
Meanwhile, man-of-the-series Williamson was happy with the series win against Pakistan. “In a series that went up and down, it was fantastic to learn from the Pakistan side and ultimately to come out to win in such an evenly fought series has been great,” said Williamson.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 20th, 2014.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ