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Pakistan defeat New Zealand to win first one dayer

Pakistan take on India in the CT final. (AFP PHOTO/ Aamir QURESHI)
Roar Rookie
16th January, 2016
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Was it just another T20 match? Ask Mohammad Amir this question and he would definitely answer in the negative.

After months the wait was finally over for him. Figures of: 1 for 31 in a four over spell was not earth shattering by any means, but it was an important day for Amir because in-spite of the divided opinion regarding his suspension, he is back in international cricket.

Kane Williamson won the toss and elected to bowl at the Eden Park. Extra bounce off the length caused a few problems for the Pakistani opener Mohammad Hafeez, but he managed to open his account with a beautiful off drive for 4. He was especially aggressive against Trent Boult and dispatched three boundaries in his first two overs.

The other opener Ahmed Shehzad was not far behind, he hit four 4s and one 6 at long on, but one shot to the same area brought his downfall. Hafeez took Corey Anderson to the cleaners, he hit three 4s and one 6 in his first over. He provided stability as well as aggression to the innings and made 61.

Like always, Sohaib Maqsood performance on the field (batting and fielding) was nothing but disappointing. Perhaps, he believes in lazy elegance, but the problem is that he takes the ‘lazy’ word too seriously. It is difficult for the captain to hide him on the field.

Shahid Afridi played a little cameo and made 24 off 8 balls. Afridi and Kamran Akmal looked good for setting a huge target for the opposition, but New Zealand made a good comeback by breaking their partnership of 36 runs from only 12 balls.

Imad Wasim was innovative, his reverse shot for 4 and a smack for 6 at square leg boundary oozed confidence. Pakistan made 171 runs for the loss of 8 wickets in their allotted 20 overs.

Despite the early loss of Martin Guptill, New Zealand were on their way to reach the target. Williamson (70 runs) and Munro (56 runs) were going strong, but Wahab Riaz managed to dislodge Munro’s stumps, when the New Zealand score was 89.

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Double strike by Afridi, dismissing Grant Elliott and Luke Ronchi in one over brought Pakistan back in the match. Man of the match Afridi also took a stunning catch to send Santner back in the pavilion.

Umar Gul was making a comeback after the injury, so initially he looked a bit off-colour. He conceded 38 runs in his four overs and remained the most expensive bowler for the Pakistan side. That being said, he showed his old glimpse when he bowled Nathan Astle with a classic yorker.

In the end, the men in green managed a comfortable win by 16 runs.

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