Daily Times

It was a more subdued performance following the fireworks of Dunedin, but the Black Caps have comfortably claimed the fourth T20 International at Hagley Oval in Christchurch.

Surviving an early scare at 20-3 early, a 139-run partnership between Glen Phillips and Daryl Mitchell saw New Zealand get home with seven wickets and eleven balls to spare.

Earlier Matt Henry and Lockie Ferguson restricted Pakistan with figures of 2/22 and 2/27 respectively.

Man of the match Mitchell said that they had to bide their time after a poor start.

“We always knew the new ball would do a bit, so we just tried to take it as deep as we could. We just tried to build a partnership and keep the pressure on.” Skipper Mitch Santner said the pair managed the chase very well.

“Shaheen bowled amazing up front but they did their thing and soaked it up a bit. We had to fight with the batting bit credit to the way they went about it.”

Devon Conway was a late withdrawal from the side after he tested positive to Covid-19, Will Young replacing him at the top of the order.

Santner won his first toss of the series and elected to field first.

Saim Ayub’s lean tour continued, as he nicked Matt Henry to first slip, Daryl Mitchell juggling the catch but eventually pouching it.

Pakistan’s premier batters in Mohammed Rizwan and Babar Azam put 51 on for the second wicket, before a reckless stroke from Babar saw him caught for 19.

Santner pulled back the run rate further with a masterfully miserly spell, to have Pakistan stalling slightly at 71-2 after 10.

Rizwan brought up his half century of 38 deliveries but the tourists were struggling for ascendancy against the kiwi bowlers.

Fakhar Zaman never looked settled at the crease and ultimately sent one into the skies which was swallowed up by Mark Chapman off Lockie Ferguson.

Ferguson took two in the over sending Sahibzada Farhan back for just one.

Pakistan finally found some momentum courtesy of three consecutive sixes off Adam Milne by Mohammed Nawaz.

Rizwan couldn’t convert to three figures, finishing 90 not out as Pakistan compiled 158/5, Ferguson and Henry taking two wickets apiece.

It was a chaotic start to the chase, Finn Allen hitting two boundaries off Shaheen Afridi then chipping to point and Tim Seifert finding mid on as the Black Caps were rocked early at 10-2.

Will Young was next to go with Rizwan taking a screamer at midwicket.

Phillips and Mitchell steadied the ship for the hosts, although it was slow going for the kiwis and the required run rate soon shot up to ten.

Phillips brought up 100 for New Zealand with the first six of the innings and went to fifty one ball later with the Black Caps needing 57 from 39.

The pair then began to accelerate, Mitchell reaching his fifty as they plundered 45 from the final 19 deliveries to go 4-0 up in the series.