LAHORE: Left-handed batters Fakhar Zaman and Saim Ayub scored 47 each to power Pakistan to a competitive total of 182 against New Zealand in the first T20I of the five-match series here at Gaddafi Stadium.
Opting to bat first, Pakistan managed to accumulate 182 at the back of an anchoring and quickfire knock by Fakhar and Saim respectively.
Earlier, the home side got off to a dismal start as their dependable opening pair of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan perished cheaply.
New Zealand’s right-arm speedster Adam Milne trapped Rizwan (8) with a couple of out-swingers before hitting his pads plumb to draw the first success for New Zealand in the second over.
The right-arm pacer kept using his pace to pose threats to the host’s batters and eventually claimed the prized scalp of skipper Babar Azam; castling the latter on seven.
With Pakistan reeling at 30/2 in the fifth over, Fakhar and Saim turned the tables on the touring side and stitched a valiant 79-run partnership to anchor the innings.
Saim was the core aggressor of the stand while Fakhar was holding his ground firm before a direct hit by Chad Bowes saw the end of the former’s brisk knock. Saim fell just three short of his half-century; scoring 47 off just 28 deliveries, laced with four boundaries and two sixes.
His dismissal sparked a middle-order collapse which resulted in Pakistan slipping to 131/6 with Fakhar being the latest to walk back. He remained the joint top-scorer for the home side as he too, scored 47 runs in 34 deliveries, hitting six boundaries and two sixes.
All-rounders Imad Wasim (16) and Faheem Ashraf (22) made vital contributions with the bat while Haris Rauf’s astonishing cameo of 11 runs at the backend bolstered Pakistan to a decent total.
Matt Henry led the bowling attack for New Zealand with a hat-trick while Adam Milne and Ben Lister picked up two wickets each.
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