5th ODI, PAK vs NZ: Ravindra, Shipley & Latham Star For The Black Caps As New Zealand Earn A Consolation Win
New Zealand managed to win the last ODI against Pakistan (Source: Twitter)
New Zealand finally put an end to their misery by earning a hard fought win in the 5th and final match of the ODI series. The fairly inexperienced New Zealand side was thoroughly outplayed in all departments and were playing to salvage their pride. Unlike the preceding T20I series, Kiwis lacked the resilience and the fighting spirit to counter a very formidable Pakistan side and ended up crashing out to them by a margin of 4-1.
New Zealand batters featuring the likes of Will Young (87 off 91), Tom Latham (59 off 58) and Mark Chapman (43 off 33) were the pick of the batters for the Black Caps as they did the bulk of the scoring and took New Zealand to a very competitive score of 299. In reply, Pakistan lost their top 3 inside the first 15 overs but Iftikhar kept them in the hunt till the very end. But with very little support from the other end, Iftikhar was unable to accelerate and in the end Pakistan slumped to a 47 run defeat.
Half centuries from Young and Latham drive New Zealand to a commanding position
After choosing to bat first, New Zealand openers made the most of the ideal batting conditions and got their side to a steady start. With runs beginning to flow at a reasonable pace, New Zealand were rocked early as Mohammed Wasim dismissed Tom Blundell in the third ball of the 8th over. However, this dismissal did not deter New Zealand as Henry Nicholls teamed up with Young and stitched a crucial 51 run stand for the second wicket before succumbing to Usama Mir in one of the most unfortunate ways.
The skipper Tom Latham walked out to bat next. Latham and Young carefully negotiated the formidable Pakistani bowling attack during the middle overs and added crucial 74 runs for the third wicket. Young's labored stay at the crease came to an end when he was undone by a beauty of a delivery by Shadab Khan during the 30th over, making the game wide open. He scored a valiant knock of 87 (91) which included 8 fours and 2 sixes. Mark Chapman was in next and together with Latham, the duo put up a stiff resistance and registered a 56 run stand for the fourth wicket. Latham got to his fifty and was later dismissed for 59 whilst trying to up the ante against Usama Mir.
The New Zealand middle order featuring the likes of Chapman, Ravindra and McConchie added 97 runs to the New Zealand total and scored at a combined strike rate of 124.7. They looked well poised to breach the 300 run mark but just when the lower order was beginning to tee off, New Zealand lost a lot of wickets in clusters during death overs. Shaheen Shah Afridi (3-46) and Haris Rauf (1-45) struck back in the last 5 overs and picked up 4 vital wickets to put an abrupt end to the New Zealand innings.
Iftikhar Ahmed's unbeaten 94 goes in vain as New Zealand bowlers skittle Pakistan well short of their target
Pakistan commenced their chase on a very precarious note losing Masood, Azam, Rizwan and Zaman inside first 20 overs. New Zealand bowlers featuring the likes of Matt Henry and Henry Shipley provided the early break throws for their side and reduced hosts to 66-4 in 19 overs. They were bowling a tight channel and with a hint of swing on offer, the Kiwi quicks were giving Pakistani batters a hard time out.
Iftikhar Ahmed and Agha Salman got into the rescue act and stitched a vital 97 run stand for the 5th wicket to resurrect the Pakistan chase. Agha scored a run-a-ball 57 before being dismissed by Shipley in the 35th over. Shadab walked in to bat next but his stay was curtailed by the arrival of Adam Milne who bowled a well directed bouncer to dismiss him for 14. By now Pakistan was reeling and were in desperate need of someone who could support Iftikhar at the other end.
Usama Mir tried to show aggressive intent scoring 20 (15) before succumbing to Ravindra in the 42nd over. Usama's wicket exposed the fragile Pakistani tail and it was all left to Iftikhar Ahmed to do the impossible. Whilst wickets kept tumbling at the other end, Iftikhar kept his head down and played a blinder of an innings to give his side a fighting chance. He scored an unbeaten 94 (72) which included 8 fours and 2 sixes. With the tail hardly offering any resistance, Pakistan were soon bundled out for 252 and suffered a 47 run defeat. Henry Shipley emerged as the real hero for New Zealand picking 3/34 in his 9 overs spell. He kept a lid on the scoring rate and managed to chip in with timely wickets which derailed the Pakistan chase. On the other hand, Rachin Ravindra also played his part too by returning figures of 3/65 in his allotted 10 overs.
Brief Scores
New Zealand: 299/10 (49.3)
Will Young 87 (91), Tom Latham 59 (58);
Shaheen Shah Afridi 3/46 (10), Mohammad Wasim 1/24 (6)
Pakistan: 252/10 (46.1)
Iftikhar Ahmed 94 (72), Agha Salman 57 (57);
Henry Shipley 3/34 (9), Rachin Ravindra 3/65 (10)
New Zealand won by forty seven runs.
 "Datrim")
