Pakistan beat New Zealand to keep WC semi-final hopes alive
Pakistan have defeated New Zealand by 21 runs (DLS method) to keep their semi-final hopes alive in the 2023 ICC World Cup. Chasing 400, the Men in Green were 200/1 in 25.3 overs when rain stopped the play. While Fakhar Zaman slammed a century, Babar Azam complimented him well. Meanwhile, fiery knocks from Rachin Ravindra and Kane Williamson went in vain.
A fiery display from NZ
NZ were off to a sensational start as openers Ravindra and Devon Conway added 68 runs for the first wicket before the latter departed for 35. Ravindra then joined forces with Williamson as the duo added 180 runs for the second wicket. Daryl Mitchell (29), Mark Chapman (39), and Glenn Phillips (41) helped NZ finish at 401/6. Mohammad Wasim Jr dismissed three batters.
A valiant reply from Pakistan
Chasing the mountainous total, Pakistan lost Abdullah Shafique (4) cheaply. However, Zaman showcased remarkable character with his high-class batting. Skipper Babar supported him well as the duo added 194* runs. Pakistan were comfortably ahead of the DLS par score for the major part of the game. Tim Southee was the lone wicket-taker in the entire innings as the Kiwis suffered a shocking defeat.
Ravindra joins these names
Ravindra ended up scoring 108 off 93 balls. The southpaw became the first Kiwi batter to slam three centuries in ODI World Cups. Ravindra now has five 50-plus scores in the ongoing event, the joint-most for a Kiwi batter in a WC edition (100s: 3, 50s: 2). He has joined Martin Crowe (1992) and Scott Styris (2007).
Third Kiwi batter to get this feat
Ravindra has raced to 523 runs in this WC at 74.71. Williamson (578 in 2019) and Martin Guptill (547 in 2015) are the other Kiwi batters with 500-plus runs in a WC edition. Meanwhile, England's Jonny Bairstow (532 in 2019) is the only other batter to muster 500-plus runs in his debut WC. Ravindra has now compiled 712 runs in 20 ODIs at 47.46.
Most WC runs for NZ
Williamson hammered a solid 95 off 79 balls. With his 11th run, Williamson became the third Kiwi batter to accomplish 1,000 WC runs. He joined greats like Stephen Fleming (1,075) and Ross Taylor (1,002). He later overtook Fleming's tally to become NZ's highest run-getter at the event. Playing his 25th WC game, Williamson has completed 1,084 runs at 63.76 (50s: 5, 100s: 2).
Fifth-most runs for NZ in ODIs
Williamson has now raced to 6,727 runs from 163 ODIs at an average of 48.74. The tally includes 13 centuries and 44 fifties with 148 being his best score. He is NZ's fifth-highest run-getter in the format. Notably, NZ were the runners-up in the last two ODI World Cups (2015 and 2019). Williamson played an instrumental role in both campaigns.
1,000 ODI runs in 2023 for Mitchell
Daryl Mitchell has accomplished 1,000 ODI runs in 2023. Mitchell entered the game, requiring two runs to get the mark. He ended up scoring 29 off 18 balls (4 fours, 1 six). Mitchell took 24 games to accomplish the 1,000-run mark in ODIs this year (1,027). He has four hundreds and three fifties this year. Meanwhile, the batter averages 48.90 this year.
Mitchell averages 50 in ODIs
Mitchell has been a vital part of NZ's ODI team since his debut in the format in 2021. The dasher owns 1,400 runs at 50. The tally includes five half-centuries and as many tons. The New Zealand batter has 176 runs at home and 927 runs away from home (home of opposition). At neutral venues, he owns 245 runs.
100 ODI wickets for Hasan
Hasan Ali, who finished with 1/82 in 10 overs, has become the sixth-fastest Pakistan bowler to accomplish 100 wickets in ODI cricket. Hasan took 66 matches to complete a century of ODI wickets. He became the 22nd Pakistan bowler to get the milestone. While his economy rate is 5.81, Hasan's average is 30.84. He owns four ODI fifers.
Most expensive WC spell by a Pakistan bowler
Shaheen Afridi returned with 0/90 in 10 overs. These are the most expensive figures by a Pakistan bowler in a WC match. The pacer overtook Hasan's bowling figures of 1/84 against India in Manchester in the 2019 ODI World Cup. Meanwhile, Haris Rauf now holds the second place on this unwanted list, having finished with 1/85 in the match.
Second-highest WC partnership for NZ
Williamson and Ravindra's 180-run stand is now NZ's second-highest partnership in ODI WCs. Ravindra and Conway's unbeaten 273-run partnership against England in the tournament opener occupies the first place. The NZ duo also recorded the second-highest WC partnership against Pakistan. They are only behind Australia's Mitchell Marsh and David Warner's 259-run stand earlier in the tournament.
Highest WC total against Pakistan
As mentioned, New Zealand posted the highest WC total against the Men in Green. They displaced Australia, who posted 367/9 against Babar Azam's team a few days back. Meanwhile, the Kiwis have crossed the 400-run mark for the first time in World Cups. Overall, NZ slammed the sixth-highest total in WC history. This is the second 400-plus score in the ongoing event.
Fastest World Cup century for Pakistan
Zaman slammed the fastest World Cup ton by a Pakistan batter, off 63 balls. He scored an unbeaten 81-ball 126. Meanwhile, the southpaw hammered 11 maximums en route to his knock. No other Pakistan batter has smoked more sixes in an ODI WC match. The left-handed batter went past Imran Nazir, who hammered eight sixes against Zimbabwe in the 2007 event.
A look at Zaman's stats
This was Zaman's second successive 50-plus score at the event as he hammered a 74-ball 81 in his preceding outing against Bangladesh. The dasher has now raced to 3,491 runs in 81 ODIs at an average of 47.17. Besides 11 tons, he has slammed 16 half-centuries in this format. He has completed 405 ODI World Cup runs at 40.50.
1,000 runs in 2023 for Babar
Babar, who scored an unbeaten 63-ball 66, took 24 games to accomplish 1,000 (1,027) ODI runs in 2023 as he averages 46.68 this year. The tally includes 10 fifties and two tons. Shubman Gill (1,426), Pathum Nissanka (1,108), Rohit Sharma (1,060), Virat Kohli (1,054), and Mitchell (1,027) are the others with 1,000-plus ODI runs this year.
Here are his ODI numbers
Earlier this year, Babar became the fastest to surpass 5,000 ODI runs, in only 97 innings. Playing his 116th ODI match, Babar has raced to 5,691 runs at 56.91. He has maintained an ODI strike rate of 88.78. Notably, he has the best ODI average among Pakistani batters with at least 1,000 runs in this format. He has 756 WC runs at 56.
Tim Southee surpasses Vettori
Southee, who claimed 1/27 in five overs, became the second-highest wicket-taker for New Zealand in the ICC Cricket World Cup. He has raced to 37 scalps at the event. The veteran pacer is now only behind Trent Boult, who has scalped 49 wickets. Southee now has 217 ODI scalps with this wicket against Pakistan. Having played 159 games, he averages 33.62.
Pakistan's joint-highest WC stand
As mentioned, Babar and Fakhar registered an unbeaten 194-run stand for the second wicket. As per ESPNcricinfo, this is Pakistan's joint-highest stand in WC history. In the 1999 event, Saeed Anwar and Wajahatullah Wasti also added as many runs against none other than New Zealand.
