For New Zealand, Matt Henry will also miss the remainder of the series as he continues his rehab from shoulder injury.
Pakistan vs New Zealand 3rd T20I: Nawaz Smashes 105
Pakistan vs. New Zealand 3rd T20I saw Pakistan play fearless, high-risk cricket with great success. Mohammad Haris, Hasan Nawaz, and Salman Agha showed aggressive intent from the start. Pakistan had earlier struggled with pace and bounce in the first two T20I matches. In this match, they dominated on a flat pitch perfect for batting. Hasan Nawaz smashed a brilliant 105* off 45 balls in a record-breaking T20I knock. New Zealand’s bowlers had no answers to Pakistan’s attacking approach. Pakistan avoided a series defeat and kept the T20I series alive. Fans praised Pakistan’s explosive batting and Nawaz’s maiden T20I century.
Pakistan Bowlers Hold Nerve in High-Scoring T20I vs NZ
Pakistan vs. New Zealand 3rd T20I featured a high-scoring contest on a batter-friendly surface. Despite the flat pitch, Pakistan’s pace bowlers managed to restrict New Zealand to 204 runs. The bowlers kept their lines tight and used variations effectively in the death overs. Some runs were leaked during the middle overs, but the damage was controlled. Leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed struggled when bowling inside the powerplay and went expensive. The total seemed big, but the pitch made it clear no score was truly safe. Pakistan’s T20I bowlers showed improvement after tough outings in the earlier games. With two T20Is left, Pakistan will aim to carry this momentum and level the series.
New Zealand missed a golden chance to seal the T20I series against Pakistan. They had been dominant until the third T20I clash in Rawalpindi. Despite losing early wickets, New Zealand maintained a strong scoring rate. Mark Chapman led the charge with a stunning 94 off just 44 balls. His aggressive knock kept New Zealand competitive in a high-scoring T20I match. Chapman’s form continues to be a major positive for New Zealand in this T20I series. New Zealand will look to bounce back and finish strong in the remaining T20I games.
New Zealand are fielding a near-second-string squad in this T20I series. Pakistan have also reshuffled their T20I lineup with fresh faces. Both teams have shown a clear intent to play attacking, entertaining cricket. Their batting-first approach has thrilled fans and added excitement to the series. As the T20I action shifts to Mount Maunganui, both sides will hope their strategy pays off.
Clash of Impact Players: Haris Rauf vs Mark Chapman
Haris Rauf returned to Pakistan’s Twenty20 XI after missing the series opener. He reminded fans why he’s Pakistan’s T20I pace spearhead. In the 2nd T20I, Rauf took 2 wickets for just 20 runs. He followed it with 3 for 29 in the 3rd T20I at Eden Park. The pitch favored batters, but Rauf used clever variations to restrict scoring. His economy rate of 7.25 was the best among both teams in that match. Rauf had strong performances against Australia and Zimbabwe late last year. Though wicketless vs South Africa, he bounced back in New Zealand conditions that suited him.
Mark Chapman stood out in the New Zealand vs. Pakistan T20I with a brilliant batting performance.
Chapman hadn’t scored a T20I half-century in his last ten innings before this match. He also had six single-digit scores in that poor T20I run. But against Pakistan, he showed why he’s a key player in New Zealand’s middle order.
After early wickets, Chapman attacked Shaheen Afridi to shift momentum in New Zealand’s favor.
He also played smartly against Pakistan’s leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed during the powerplay.
Despite regular wickets falling, Chapman kept scoring with clean shots all around the ground.
He smashed 11 fours and 4 sixes, narrowly missing a T20I century in Mount Maunganui.
Updated Squad News:
Matt Henry will miss the full New Zealand vs. Pakistan T20I series due to a shoulder injury. Henry was ruled out of the first three matches and continues his rehabilitation process. Zakary Foulkes, named as Henry’s replacement, will remain part of New Zealand’s T20I squad. Will O’Rourke was originally selected for only the first three T20Is against Pakistan. He will now stay with the squad for the final two games of the T20I series. O’Rourke replaces Kyle Jamieson, who will miss the last two T20Is vs Pakistan. One of Foulkes or O’Rourke is expected to feature in the New Zealand playing XI.
Pakistan brought in Abbas Afridi to replace Jahandad Khan in the previous T20I against New Zealand. They also added leg spinner Abrar Ahmed in place of fast bowler Mohammad Ali. After a strong performance in the third T20I, Pakistan are unlikely to change their winning combination. Expect the same Pakistan playing XI for the fourth T20I in the ongoing New Zealand series.
Bay Oval Pitch Report and Weather Forecast for 4th T20I
The Bay Oval has an average first-innings T20I score of 176 since 2020. Teams batting first have won four of the last five completed T20I matches at this venue. Cloudy conditions are expected for the Pakistan vs. New Zealand 4th T20I. Despite the clouds, no rain is forecast for the match on Sunday in Mount Maunganui. Expect a good batting surface with some assistance for bowlers under lights.
Key T20I Stats: Pakistan vs New Zealand Head-to-Head Insights
Since 2020, Pakistan and New Zealand have faced off in 26 T20I matches. This is the most T20Is either team has played against any opponent during this period. New Zealand’s next most-played T20I opponent since 2020 is India, with 14 matches.
Pakistan’s second-most frequent T20I opponent has been England, with 16 matches since 2020. Since 2024, Pakistan have only won T20Is against New Zealand among the top ten ranked teams. They have won four out of 13 T20Is against New Zealand since the start of 2024.
Ish Sodhi has taken 27 T20I wickets against Pakistan, his highest against any team. His next best is 25 T20I wickets against India. Mark Chapman needs 32 runs to become New Zealand’s top T20I run scorer vs. Pakistan.
Kane Williamson currently leads with 667 T20I runs against Pakistan.
