'They’ve Shown That...'- Mitchell Santner Showers Rich Praise on Pakistan
NZ defeated PAK in 3rd T20I [X.com]
On Wednesday, New Zealand's stand-in captain Mitchell Santner lauded the Pakistan team despite their T20I series loss against the home side in Dunedin.
Santner's comments followed Pakistan's defeat to New Zealand in the third T20I of the five-match series. The home team posted a formidable 224/7 in 20 overs, fueled by Finn Allen's remarkable 137-run innings.
In reply, despite Babar Azam's 58, the hosts secured a convincing 45-run victory at the University Oval, claiming an unassailable 3-0 lead in the series. It marked another clinical performance by the hosts.
However, Santner expressed his belief that the Shaheen Shah Afridi-led Pakistan side is superior to what the scoreline might suggest.
"Yeah, Pakistan is a very good team, and they've shown that when they've come here and wherever we play them,” Santner said during the post-match presentation ceremony.
![[Watch] Babar Azam Has 'Hands On Head' As His Killer Six Injures A Fan](https://onecricketnews.akamaized.net/parth-editor/oc-dashboard/news-images-prod/1705476005343_Untitled design - 2024-01-17T124600.661.jpg)
In the third T20I, Allen took the attack on the Pakistani bowlers. Allen's blitzkrieg proved to be a significant challenge for the Pakistani bowlers as he smashed a sensational century, scoring 137 runs in just 72 balls, marking his second century in T20I cricket.
Notably, Allen surpassed former New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum's record by registering the highest individual score by a Kiwi batter in T20Is.
Reflecting on Allen's whirlwind innings, Santner said:
“Our conversation should revolve around attempting to sustain the effort for as long as possible, and he (Allen) did it for a long time today.”
Allen’s record ton helps New Zealand thump Pakistan in Dunedin
While Allen's remarkable innings dominated the spotlight, other New Zealand batters had a relatively quiet performance, with only Tim Seifert (31 in 23 balls) and Glenn Phillips (19 in 15 balls) reaching double figures. However, Allen's explosive knock powered the hosts to a formidable total of 224/7 in the first innings.
In response, Pakistan struggled to chase the mammoth target, finishing at 179/7 and losing the third T20I by 45 runs. With this victory, New Zealand secured an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series against Pakistan, with two games still to be played.
 "Vaibhav Tripathi")
