BIRMINGHAM: Pakistan defeated New Zealand by six wickets in the World Cup clash between the two sides at Edgbaston here on Wednesday. Chasing victory target of 238, the Green Shirts were only a run away from clinching victory against the Kiwis, with six wickets in hand, when skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed stepped onto the crease to hit the winning shot, after Haris Sohail (68) was run out by Martin Guptill. Babar Azam scored undefeated 101 off 127 balls, the first century from the side in this tournament. Mohammad Hafeez (32 off 50 balls) was dismissed by New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson in 24.5 overs. Azam and Sohail’s partnership laid the groundwork for the side’s victory. The 101-run partnership for Azam and Sohail came in 44.4 overs with deafening cheers of support coming in from the stands. As Azam hit the 29-run mark at 17.3 overs, he became the second-fastest to 3,000 ODI runs – 68 innings.
Pakistan restrict New Zealand to 237:
Earlier, Jimmy Neesham and Colin de Grandhomme hit fighting half-centuries as New Zealand posted 237 for six after Shaheen Shah Afridi’s three-wicket burst left them in a perilous position against Pakistan. Neesham finished with a career-best one-day international score of 97 not out, hitting a six off the final ball, while De Grandhomme scored 64 to give their unbeaten team side a defensible total at Edgbaston. The pair, who came together at 83-5, added 132 for the sixth wicket, repairing the damage after a collapse following Kane Williamson´s decision to bat in overcast conditions in Birmingham.
Teenager Shaheen, who finished with figures of 3-28 in his 10 overs, wrecked the New Zealand top order, taking three wickets in 20 balls as Pakistan looked for a crucial victory following their win against South Africa. Neesham, whose previous highest ODI score was 74, hit five fours and three sixes in his sixth ODI fifty and was ably supported by De Grandhomme. New Zealand were wobbling badly when the in-form Williamson was dismissed by leg-spinner Shadab Khan, who enticed the captain into giving an edge to wicketkeeper Sarfaraz Ahmed when he was on 41.
Williamson, who had scored centuries in each of his previous innings, put on 37 for the fifth wicket with Neesham after New Zealand had slipped to 46-4. Mohammad Amir was first to strike, bowling Martin Guptill with the New Zealand score on five before Shaheen had opener Colin Munro (12) caught by Haris Sohail in the slips. Ross Taylor edged a Shaheen delivery to Sarfaraz and Tom Latham departed in similar fashion. Overnight rain delayed the start by an hour but the umpires decided the match would remain at 50 overs per side. New Zealand, who are second in the 10-team table with 11 points, kept the same team for the fifth match in a row. Pakistan, who are seventh, with five points, also kept faith with the team that beat South Africa at Lord’s on Sunday.