New Zealand beat Pakistan in 3rd T20I, level five-match series
New Zealand beat Pakistan in the 3rd T20I at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on April 21 (Sunday). The Black Caps claimed a seven-wicket win after chasing down 179 in 18.2 overs. Mark Chapman's unbeaten 87(42) paved the way for them. NZ were down to 53/2 before Chapman and Dean Foxcroft added a 117-run stand. Earlier, leg-spinner Ish Sodhi stood out with two wickets.
How did the match pan out?
Openers Babar Azam and Saim Ayub added 55 runs after NZ elected to field. However, Sodhi and Michael Bracewell dismissed the duo in quick succession. Mohammad Rizwan retired hurt after scoring 22, while Irfan Khan and Shadab Khan propelled Pakistan to 178/4. In reply, openers Tim Seifert and Tim Robinson also tallied over 40 runs for NZ. Chapman later made the chase one-sided.
Chapman slams his eighth T20I fifty
Seifert and Robinson fell in back-to-back overs after giving New Zealand a solid start. Chapman then joined Dean Foxcroft and dominated thereafter. He played the aggressor, having smashed 87* off 42 balls, a knock studded with 9 fours and 4 sixes. He shared a 117-run partnership with Foxcroft, who departed later. Chapman slammed his eighth half-century in T20I cricket.
Chapman goes past 1,500 T20I runs
With a splendid knock, Chapman raced past 1,500 runs in T20I cricket. The spin-bowling all-rounder now has 1,524 runs from 73 matches at an average of 29.88. He has a strike rate of 133.80 in the format. Besides eight half-centuries, he also owns a T20I ton. Chapman, who earlier represented Hong Kong, owns 392 T20I runs for them.
Sodhi takes two crucial wickets
Sodhi was the pick of New Zealand's bowlers in the match. He took two wickets and conceded just 25 runs in four overs. He took his second wicket in the form of Usman Khan. Sodhi, NZ's leading wicket-taker in T20Is, has now raced to 135 scalps from 114 encounters at 22.89. His economy rate in the format reads 7.99.
Shadab, Pakistan's top scorer in 3rd T20I
Shadab gave Pakistan impetus after they lost Usman in the 13th over (104/3). He added 62 runs with Irfan to get Pakistan past 160. Notably, Shadab propelled past 600 runs for Pakistan in T20I cricket. He now has 610 runs from 95 T20Is at 19.67 for the Men in Green. Leg-spinner Shadab, who returned wicketless in the 3rd T20I, also owns 106 T20I scalps.
NZ level the series
As mentioned, New Zealand leveled the three-match series 1-1 after winning the 3rd T20I. The hosts beat NZ by the same margin in the previous game a day ago. Besides, the series opener was washed out.
