Opener Sarfraz Ahmed made a career best 76 not out to guide Pakistan to a comfortable seven-wicket win over New Zealand in the first of two Twenty20 internationals in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, on Thursday.
Chasing a modest 136-run target, Pakistan were lifted by Ahmed’s 64-ball innings, which had eight fours and two sixes, as they completed the win in 19.1 overs for a 1-0 lead.
The second and final Twenty20 was due to be played in Dubai yesterday.
Photo: AFP
Ahmed added a quick 51 for the first wicket with Awaiz Zia, who made 20 with two fours, and then continued the good work with a dominating 43-run stand for the fourth wicket with Umar Akmal, who made a 24-ball 27 not out.
Akmal finished the match with a huge six off Jimmy Neesham.
In between, Pakistan lost Mohammad Hafeez (2) and Haris Sohail (11), but Sarfraz kept one end intact and bettered his previous best of just 5 in his previous four Twenty20s.
“It was a positive and aggressive decision to field first. The bowlers did well and then Sarfraz was outstanding,” Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi said of his team’s 50th win in 84 Twenty20 matches.
New Zealand’s stand-in skipper Kane Williamson blamed the loss of early wickets for a below-par total.
“There were things that went wrong, we lost early wickets and then couldn’t pick up wickets with the ball, but it’s great to have a look at all the players with so much cricket to come,” Williamson said.
New Zealand owed their total to a career best 37-ball 48 by Corey Anderson after they were put into bat on a flat pitch.
Anderson lifted his team from a precarious 15-3 with a 46-run stand for the fourth wicket with opener Martin Guptill (32) and 51 for the fifth wicket with Luke Ronchi (33).
Anderson hit four towering sixes and a four, bettering his previous highest of 20 not out against the Netherlands in Chittagong, Bangladesh, earlier this year.
New Zealand lost Williamson for a duck and Ross Taylor for just 4.
Pakistan’s left-arm pacemen, Sohail Tanvir (2-24) and Mohammad Irfan (2-27) shared the bowling honors.
Afridi, Raza Hasan and Anwar Ali also took a wicket each.
New Zealand were without their regular skipper Brendon McCullum, who along with pacemen Trent Boult and Tim Southee left for home after the drawn 1-1 Test series.
Both teams also play a five-match one-day international series, the first of which is due to be played in Dubai on Monday.
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