
1st T20I: Jamieson reflects on his match-winning spell against Pakistan
What's the story
New Zealand defeated Pakistan by nine wickets in the opener of the five-T20I series.
The match was highlighted by a brilliant spell from Kyle Jamieson, who picked three wickets for just eight runs.
Jacob Duffy was also impressive with the ball, managing 4/14.
This victory marks a difficult start to a new era in Pakistan's white-ball cricket under captain Salman Ali Agha.
"It was really nice to be back on home soil," said Jamieson, recalling his brilliant spell.
Match breakdown
Pakistan's batting falters against New Zealand's pace attack
Pakistan's batting order faltered against New Zealand's pace attack, managing only 91/10 in 18.4 overs.
This is now their fifth-lowest total in T20 internationals.
The team's new opening pair of Mohammad Haris and Hasan Nawaz, replacing veterans Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam, fell without scoring within the first eight balls of the match.
Jamieson and Duffy capitalized on favorable conditions on a brownish pitch at Hagley Oval to put Pakistan on the back foot early on.
Player's perspective
Jamieson expresses satisfaction with performance
"We had some pretty favorable conditions, which I'm sure me and (Duffy) would take most places around the country," said Jamieson as per CricToday, who bowled 18 dot balls during his spell
He admitted to the conditions being favorable and was confident that he and Duffy would be able to exploit such situations across the country.
"It was nice to have those and just try to cash in as much as we could," he added.
Middle-order resistance
Pakistan's innings salvaged by Salman and Khushdil
Despite the early setbacks, Salman Ali Agha and Khushdil Shah managed to salvage some pride for Pakistan.
They added 46 runs to the total, showing some resilience against New Zealand's spinners.
However, Duffy returned to dismiss Khushdil for 32 runs, leading to a quick collapse of the remaining batsmen.
Only three players from Pakistan's lineup reached double figures in their innings.
Chase highlights
New Zealand's chase led by Seifert and Allen
New Zealand chased down the target with utmost ease, reaching 92 for one in 10.1 overs.
Tim Seifert was the architect of this victory, scoring 44 runs off 29 balls.
Finn Allen also played a pivotal role in the team's success with a blistering 29 runs off just 17 balls.
The match ended when Tim Robinson finished the win with two runs off the first ball of the 11th over.
Post-match comments
Ali Agha acknowledges team's shortcomings
After the match, captain Salman Ali Agha admitted his team's shortcomings.
"It was obviously difficult and we weren't up to the mark," he admitted. "They bowled really well... But our batting wasn't up to the mark."
He hoped for an improvement in the upcoming matches, saying, "We will try to gather ourselves and be better in the next game."
Numbers
A look at Jamieson's T20I numbers after his brilliant spell
The pacer has raced to 13 T20I scalps at an average of 32.30 in 14 innings.
He also boasts an economy rate of 8.63 in these games.
Notably, his 3/8 in the aforementioned match is his best T20I figures.
According to ESPNcricinfo, seven of his scalps have come at home across nine innings.