T20I Tri-Series, Pakistan trounce New Zealand: Key stats
Pakistan beat New Zealand by six wickets in their second match of the T20I Tri-Series on Saturday. The Men in Green registered their second successive win in the series, having beaten Bangladesh earlier. NZ racked up 147/8 thanks to a blistering cameo from Mark Chapman (32). Later, skipper Babar Azam (79*) slammed the Kiwis left, right, and center to be the show-stopper. Here's more.
How did the match pan out?
Opting to bat, NZ lost Finn Allen after a brisk start before Kane Williamson and Devon Conway joined hands. The pair added 61 runs before the latter departed. NZ's momentum took a beating thereafter, but Chapman helped them reach a modest total. Chasing 149, Babar was off to a flying start and later found Shadab Khan (34) to lay the winning foundation (149/4).
Babar creams the hosts
Babar, who managed a poor 25-ball 22 in the last game, raced to 26 off 14 deliveries within four overs. He was dropped on a sitter by Glenn Phillips, a move that proved costly for the hosts. The prolific batter went to club a 53-ball 79* studded with 11 fours. It's his 28th half-century in the format. He now owns 3,140 runs at 44.22.
Rauf derails the Kiwis in death-overs
Rauf was right on the money in the 19th over, uprooting James Neesham, Michael Bracewell, and Chapman. He conceded only five runs to wind up with 3/28 in four overs. The speedster has steered to 62 scalps, averaging 23.41. As per ESPNcricinfo, he steered clear of Mohammad Amir (59) and Mohammad Hafeez (61), becoming the fifth-highest wicket-taker for Pakistan in T20Is.
Williamson, Conway script these numbers
Williamson, who had fared poorly in the West Indies T20Is, posted yet another sluggish effort. He scored a 30-ball 31 laced with a solitary four. Williamson now owns 2,127 runs at 32.22, surpassing Bangladesh's Mahmudullah (2,122) to become the 15th-highest run-getter in T20I cricket. Meanwhile, Conway (35-ball 36) found two fours and two sixes to tally 746 runs at 46.50.
Other key numbers from the match
Chapman's late onslaught (16-ball 32) has gotten him to 734 runs in 35 matches, averaging 25.31. Spinner Nawaz (2/44) and seamer Wasim Jr (2/20) have raced to 42 and 24 T20I wickets respectively. As per ESPNcricinfo, the former has now equaled the likes of Kieron Pollard, Mashrafe Mortaza, and Kane Richardson. Also, Pakistan have extended their head-to-head record against NZ to 16-10.
