A match winning knock of 89 from Mohammad Rizwan helped Pakistan beat New Zealand in the final T20 at Napier on Tuesday.
- 1st T20 – New Zealand won by 5 wickets.
- 2nd T20 – New Zealand won by 9 wickets.
- 3rd T20 – Pakistan won by 4 wickets.
Shadab Khan’s side finally got a win under their belts on their tour of New Zealand, with a 4 wicket victory in the final T20 of the series.
The match was a dead rubber, with New Zealand already leading the best of three series, 2-0.
Opening batsman Mohammad Rizwan was the star of the show, his brutal knock of 89 was the match winning contribution.
Earlier in the day, the tourists won the toss and sent the Kiwi’s into bat. Kane Williamson’s side posted a competitive 173/7, with Devon Conway top scoring with 63 off 45 balls.
With the small boundaries at McLean Park though, it was always debatable if that total would be enough.
Pakistan were cruising to victory, until a late flurry of wickets gave the Kiwis a sniff of a chance.
Tim Southee found himself bowling a hat-trick ball in the penultimate over of the match. But in the end the tourists held their nerve and completed victory, for their first win on the tour.
The win will be a confidence boost for Pakistan ahead of the upcoming two Test matches starting on Boxing Day.