Cricket fans have been treated to a thrilling T20 showdown between Pakistan and New Zealand. The five-match battle was a closely fought affair and ended in a nail-biting tie. Both teams delivered exceptional performances, putting on display the depth and quality of their respective teams. The Men in Green waltzed towards an early 2-0 lead by dominating the Black Caps. The visitors’ response to Pakistan’s solid batting performances was weak as only Mark Chapman offered resistance. Pakistan’s skipper Babar Azam secured his ninth T20 century in an usual fashion, but it was speed gun Haris Rauf who bamboozled the Kiwi batsmen, ripping through their middle order in both matches.
The tables, however, turned in the third T20 as the determined New Zealand won the toss and elected to bat. Thanks to a half century from Kiwi skipper Tom Latham, the visitors managed to post a decent 163. Pakistan’s top order misfired and the team was under pressure with 7 wickets for just 88 runs. But Iftikhar Ahmed’s onslaught of 60 off just 24 balls managed to pull the team out of the brink of defeat. Despite that, New Zealand managed to keep themselves alive in the tournament by clinching a 4-run victory in the end. The fourth T20 was called off as a result of an intense hailstorm that ended NZ’s chances of being victorious in the series. The final match saw New Zealand chasing down a challenging target of 190 runs put up by Pakistan after Mohammad Rizwan scored a masterful 98 not out. This time, the Kiwi batsmen had a solid response, with brilliant performances from Mark Chapman and Jimmy Neesham, scoring 104* and 45* respectively, keeping the Pakistani bowlers at bay and eventually leading to a series tie.
The jubilant T20 series was much needed for cricket fans, who have long been craving competitive cricket, but more so for Pakistan cricket as this is the first time, after the 1992 World Cup that we might see the formation of a world-class, well-rounded team with solid batsmen and fierce bowlers.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 27th, 2023.
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