Pakistan defeats New Zealand in its first ODI series victory in 12 years

About

     In the third match on Wednesday in Karachi, Pakistan defeated New Zealand by a close margin of 26 runs to win the series against them for the first time in 12 years. In order to lead Pakistan to 287-6 in their 50 overs, Imam-ul-Haq struck a 107-ball 90, and Babar Azam made a 62-ball 54 for his 26th ODI half-century. New Zealand's opener Tom Blundell scored 65, while rookie Cole McConchie blasted an unbeaten 45-ball 64, but the tourists were bowled out for 261 in 49.1 overs.

What they said

     "It's always a relief when you win a series, and it was a good team effort," added Azam. "We put together a strong total, and the bowlers were excellent." The emphasis is now on being focused and playing aggressively in the next two games, with the expectation that we can continue to give our all. 

     Latham, the captain of New Zealand, speculated that the pitch may have slowed down slightly. We weren't quite at our best, but things might have been a little different if we had a few partnerships here and there. 

Overview 

     Earlier, Fakhar Zaman, the in-form opener, was caught by Matt Henry for 19, giving New Zealand a strong start. Before falling, Zaman, who had hit three hundreds in his previous three ODI innings, was in good form. Haq and Azam used their 108-run second-wicket stand to stabilise the batting. Before hitting one onto his stumps from Henry, Azam smashed three fours and a six.

     In the 38th over, pacer Adam Milne dismissed Haq. Despite struggling once more, Abdullah Shafique only managed to score 19, but Agha Salman (31) and Mohammad Rizwan (32) added 54 runs for the fifth wicket to raise the total. Mohammad Nawaz and Shadab Khan both contributed in the final overs, scoring 11 and 21 runs respectively.