O’Rourke grabbed four wickets, while Santner and Bracewell took two each, building momentum ahead of the Champions Trophy opener.
New Zealand Seals Tri-Series Victory
Despite injuries to Ferguson, Sears, Henry, and Ravindra, New Zealand dominated Karachi, claiming the tri-series title convincingly. This triumph delivers a clear warning to Pakistan, with their Champions Trophy opener just five days away. Filling the void left by experienced bowlers, O’Rourke impressed with four wickets, showcasing his growing potential brilliantly. Santner spearheaded the spin department skillfully, applying pressure in middle overs and restricting Pakistan to a modest 242.
New Zealand’s batters smoothly chased 243 on a tricky pitch, sealing victory with 28 balls and five wickets remaining. Conway and Williamson provided stability, building a crucial 71-run partnership before Mitchell dominated Pakistan’s spinners in the middle overs. Mitchell executed a variety of sweeps, including reverse, skillfully disrupting Pakistan’s spin attack and maintaining New Zealand’s momentum. His crucial 87-run partnership with Tom Latham solidified New Zealand’s control before Michael Bracewell and Glenn Phillips completed the chase.
Phillips made an early impact, smashing a maiden ODI century—106* off 74 balls—against Pakistan brilliantly. Williamson showcased his class, scoring an unbeaten century in New Zealand’s second match versus South Africa. Latham, struggling for form with ducks, regained confidence with a steady 56 off 64 balls impressively. He had fortunate reprieves—dropping twice and surviving an LBW, which replays confirmed was hitting stumps.
Santner, Bracewell Shine as Abrar Struggles
Pakistan’s specialist spinner Abrar Ahmed lacked penetration and ended with figures of 0 for 67 from his 10 overs. In contrast, New Zealand’s premier spinner Santner delivered an exceptional spell, registering his most economical 10-over return in ODIs. His impeccable control saw him bowl 40-dot balls, varying his speed smartly between the mid-70s and mid-90s kph range. Bracewell also maintained pressure, conceding just 38 runs while picking up two wickets in his 10 overs.
Pakistan’s Slow Start and Babar’s Brief Brilliance
Pakistan’s innings struggled to gain momentum right from the powerplay, where they managed 48 runs but also played out 48 dot balls. Fakhar Zaman, after battling a series of short deliveries from O’Rourke, eventually chipped a catch to square leg for 10 off 15 balls. Babar Azam briefly lifted the Karachi crowd’s spirits with a crisp cover drive off Jacob Duffy and reached 6,000 ODI runs in his 123rd inning, equaling Hashim Amla as the fastest to the milestone. However, his stay was short-lived, as debutant Nathan Smith dismissed him for 29 off 34 balls with a return catch.
Captain Mohammad Rizwan, uncharacteristically slow to start, needed 13 balls to get off the mark but then found some rhythm, forming an 88-run partnership with Salman Agha. Agha played fluently, rotating strikes well, but O’Rourke’s return spell proved decisive. A well-disguised cross-seamer stopped on Rizwan, leading to an inside edge onto the stumps for 46 off 76 balls. Bracewell soon removed Agha, who miscued a reverse sweep to short third, leaving Pakistan at 161 for 5 in the 37th over.
Tayyab Tahir provided a late boost with a quick 38 off 33 balls, but Duffy dismissed him in the 42nd over. Pakistan managed just four boundaries in the last eight overs, finishing with a below-par 242.
Conway, Williamson Overcome Swing to Anchor Chase
Under lights, the new ball swung considerably more, with Naseem Shah and Shaheen Shah Afridi extracting significant movement. A broadcast graphic revealed that Pakistan’s seamers achieved 2.4 degrees of swing, compared to New Zealand’s 1.5 degrees. Despite the early challenges, Conway and Williamson weathered the storm before shifting gears against Pakistan’s spinners. Williamson lofted Agha’s off-spin over mid-off, while Conway punished Abrar and Khushdil Shah through the covers. Williamson eventually fell for 34 off 49 balls while attempting another aggressive shot, and Conway followed soon after, just two short of a half-century. However, the depth and adaptability of New Zealand’s middle order ensured a smooth finish.
Looking ahead, New Zealand will be further strengthened with the possible returns of Ravindra and Ferguson for their Champions Trophy opener on Wednesday, making them an even more formidable unit.
