KARACHI May 6, 2023: Pakistan cricket team on Friday created history by leapfrogging from third position to the top in the World ODI ranking after dealing a 102-run blow to New Zealand in the fourth game of the five-match ODI series.
Skipper Babar Azam’s scintillating 117-ball 107 and Usama Mir’s magical spell powered Pakistan to a mammoth 102-run victory against New Zealand in the fourth ODI in Karachi on Friday.
Chasing a target of 335, the visitors were bundled out for 232 in the 44th over. After losing two wickets, captain Tom Latham and Daryl Mitchell put on 83-run partnership off 103 balls, but it was not enough to clinch victory against the home side.
Tom Latham did his best to put pressure on Pakistan’s bowlers and scored 60 off 76 balls with five fours before being dismissed by Shaheen Shah Afridi.
Mark Chapman, who had a brilliant tour, scored 46 off 33 balls, which included four fours and three sixes.
Daryl Mitchell (34) and Tom Blundell (23) also showed some resistance with the bat.
Will Young (15), James Neesham (11), Cole McConchy (8), Ash Sodhi (9), Matt Henry (5), Blair Tickner (6) and Ben Lister (1) failed to make any significant contributions with the bat.
Usama Mir (4-43) led the bowling attack for Pakistan and took four wickets.
Mohammad Wasim (3-40) also excelled with the bowling and scooped up three wickets.
Haris Rauf (2-37) took two wickets, while Shaheen Shah Afridi (1-34) bagged one wicket.
Agha Salman (0-49) and Iftikhar Ahmed (0-21) remained wicketless.
With their fourth consecutive victory, Pakistan had now climbed to the top of the ODI rankings.
Earlier, Babar Azam’s blistering 117-ball 107 and Agha Salman’s enterprising 46-ball 58 steered Pakistan to 334-6 against the visitors.
After being sent in to bat, the home side lost Fakhar Zaman for 14 runs off 17 balls. But Babar Azam and Shan Masood (44) put on a crucial partnership.
It was Babar, along with Salman, who put on a valuable partnership of 117 runs in just 100 balls, paving the way for Pakistan to post a mammoth total for the visitors.
Babar Azam’s innings was studded with 10 fours, before he was dismissed by Ben Lister.
Agha Salman played a brilliant innings and hit four sixes and two huge sixes.
Riding on a dazzling, Shaheen Shah Afridi treated New Zealand with utter contempt and played an unbeaten innings, scoring 23 runs off 7 balls, which included a four and three massive sixes.
Other batters including Iftikhar Ahmed (28), Muhammad Rizwan (24) and Muhammad Haris (17) also contributed to the scorecard.
The bowling was nothing special from the New Zealand side, except for Matt Henry (3-65), who took three wickets.
Ben Lister (1-57) and Ish Sodhi (1-53) took a scalp each.
Blair Tickner (0-74), Cole McConchie (0-61) and James Neesham (0-15) remained wicketless.
Earlier, New Zealand won the toss and decided to bat first against Pakistan.
Pakistan
Babar Azam (c), Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Sohail, Imam-ul-Haq, Shan Masood, Tayyab Tahir, Salman Ali Agha, Muhammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Rizwan, Abbas Afridi, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Ihsanullah, Mohammad Wasim, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi and Usama Mir.
New Zealand
Tom Latham (c), Chad Bowes, Henry Nicholls, Mark Chapman, Will Young, Cole McConchie, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Shipley, James Neesham, Rachin Ravindra, Tom Blundell, Adam Milne, Benjamin Lister, Blair Tickner, Ish Sodhi and Matt Henry.