In the third Twenty20 International match in Dunedin on Wednesday, New Zealand defeated Pakistan by 45 runs. Kiwi captain Mitchell Santner praised the ‘Men in Green’ and stated they had a strong team. Santner stated that the visitors had put on a strong showing in the third 20-over encounter during the post-match press conference. Regarding the Kiwis’ first-inning total of 224/7, the all-round batsman remarked that it was good to have a high total at University Oval on a short field.
In the first ball of the eighteenth over, Allen hit a six, pushing New Zealand over the 200-run threshold. Zaman Khan got rid of Allen with the very next delivery, allowing Pakistan to stop the runs from flowing freely. In the last two overs, the Men in Green allowed just 13 runs to be scored. Ultimately, New Zealand scored 224-7, with players such as Afridi and Haris Rauf allowing 2/60 and 1/43, respectively. Among the Pakistani bowlers, Mohammad Wasim’s 1/35 (4) spell was the least costly. Pakistan needed to chase down 225 runs from 20 overs, and they started the second inning with openers Saim Ayub (10 runs from 13 balls) and Mohammad Rizwan (24 runs from 20 balls).
The ‘Men in Green’ only truly outstanding batsman was Babar Azam (58 runs from 37 balls), but the hosts denied the visitors an opportunity to establish a strong alliance. After 20 overs, Pakistan reached 179/7 thanks to the combined efforts of Mohammad Wasim Jr (1) and Shaheen Afridi (16), who both remained undefeated at the wicket. Tim Southee spearheaded the Kiwi bowling attack, taking two wickets in his four-over period.
