All-round New Zealand beat Pakistan by nine wickets in the first of five-match T20 series at the Hagley Oval, Christchurch on Sunday.
Chasing a paltry total of 92 runs, the hosts opener Tim Seifert gave his side a momentous start, scoring 44 off 29 deliveries, while his partner Finn Allen (29 not out) and Tim Robinson (18 not out) played cameo knocks to help their side sail over the line.
“Was a great day in front of a great crowd. We have played against them domestically (on the pacers), to have them in the same team, it was super difficult for them (Pakistan) and they couldn’t recover,” New Zealand captain Michael Bracewell said.
“Had to hold Kyle back for the 4th over, he was ready and at the top of his mark, it was difficult to keep them off the attack, maybe we could have restricted them to a lesser score (had I bowled out them out earlier), but it’s always a challenge to rotate the bowlers around, especially in shorter formats like the T20s,” he added.
Earlier, courtesy of brilliant bowling from Kyle Jamieson (3/8) and Jacob Duffy (4/14), Pakistan were bundled out for 91 runs. This is the second lowest total in Christchurch after the lowest total recorded by the hosts was 80 in 2010.
It is also the lowest total recorded by Pakistan in Christchurch.
“It was difficult, we weren’t up to the mark, but we need to regather (ahead of Dunedin). They bowled really well, in great areas, there was a bit of seam movement as well. We will sit down, have a chat and think about the next game,” the new captain Salman Agha said after the match.
“We had three debutants, the more games they play, they’ll learn more. The new ball does a bit in New Zealand, we’ve good bowlers and we’ll look to do well in the next match,” he added.
Khushdil Shah (36) was the lone warrior for his side, with only two other batters getting into double figures in the post Babar Azam-Mohammad Rizwan era.
The second T20I will take place at the University Oval, Dunedin on Tuesday.
READ MORE: New Zealand vs Pakistan: T20I Records And Stats At Hagley Oval Christchurch, Pitch Report, Squads