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Pakistan halted New Zealand’s 11-game winning streak at home in a Napier thriller, as the hosts calculated the cost of injuries from a bizarre outing Tuesday night.
Chasing a 3-0 sweep in the Twenty20 series, the Black Caps were unable to defend 173-7 when Pakistan’s newly announced test pattern master Mohammad Rizwan broke free at McLean Park in his team’s four-wicket victory.
Summoned to lead the Boxing Day event in place of the injured Babar Azam, Rizwan was nearly unstoppable under the lights, shooting 89 of 59 balls to bring Pakistan to the brink of a rowdy crowd of 6,493.
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Mohammad Rizwan was huge for Pakistan in their pursuit in Napier.
Then after Tim Southee hit with two wickets on two balls and Kyle Jamieson eliminated Rizwan with three needed to win, Iftikhar Ahmed hit Jamieson for six to secure it with two balls to spare. It was just the kickoff Pakistan needed after a rough first few weeks of their tour and the Covid-19 scares, and it showed that they won’t be easy to push from here despite the massive loss of Azam.
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Since February 2, the Black Caps had not lost at home, a T20 loss to India, followed by 11 consecutive victories in all formats.
They also left McLean Park with injury concerns. Starter Martin Guptill snapped his right index finger, dropped a catch and didn’t return, while leg puncher Ish Sodhi had a 50th T20 international to forget.
He threw a solo jump before suffering a left hamstring strain in the outfield, which also ended his night and left Captain Kane Williamson with bowling headaches.
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Daryl Mitchell catches a brilliant catch to eliminate Haider Ali.
Unchanged since their series win at Hamilton, a test-of-strength attack by the Black Caps never had Pakistan on defense as the spray settled and the field seemed to pick up speed.
They threw themselves too straight and were hit in the leg, particularly when veteran Mohammad Hafeez hit Jimmy Neesham for two six, the second of them measured 89 meters and fell on the roof of the Harris Stand.
Assistant manager Daryl Mitchell did his part, catching a ripper to steal the ball from Haider Ali after Guptill left.
Mitchell’s safe hands caught two more receptions, including Hafeez for a 41-on-29 penalty, but the limits also flowed.
The turning point was the end of Scott Kuggeleijn, with Pakistan needing 54 of 30. Rizwan gave him four and six and the equation was in his favor unless a calamity struck.
A dazzling 63v45 shot from Devon Conway led New Zealand’s total that didn’t seem like enough, even if the pitch may have been more difficult than expected to hit.
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Devon Conway got the highest score for the Black Caps at Napier.
After being dispatched by Shadab Khan for the first time in this series, New Zealand’s innings had it all: some brutal punches, a flurry of grounds, and the now familiar Napier punch.
Fortunately, the setting sun peeking over Chapman’s post only caused a five-minute delay just after 8 p.m., when Conway and Glenn Phillips narrowed their eyes.
Two years ago, the game was stopped for 40 minutes with Indian batsman Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan in the fold.
England’s mammoth 241-3 from 13 months ago may have been in the sights of fit hitters early. Tim Seifert picked up where he left off in Hamilton, skinning Mohammad Hasnain above cover for a flat six, then shoved him along with a shot that borders on an overhead crush.
But he started to stutter when Pakistani bowlers found his line. After Guptill (19) left cheaply to continue his worrying trot, Williamson cut the fourth ball and Seifert (35), in mid-flight, missed one that was bitten by the accurate Faheem Ashraf.
Conway and Phillips (31 of 20) righted the boat as the Wellington Firebirds southpaw mixed some delicious cricket hits with sheer power.
He entered his second half-century in his fourth international T20 inning, hitting 39 balls with a casual move by Haris Rauf at the Harris Stand, then followed up with an outstanding textbook.
Conway left with three balls remaining, a valuable hit that at least gave his players a chance to defend themselves.
