Pakistan beat New Zealand by 88 runs in first T-20I

F.P. Report

LAHORE: Green Shirts beat New Zealand by 88 runs in the first match of the five matches T-20I series played at the Gadhafi Stadium here on Friday. 

The guest side could post only 94 runs on the board and all out in 15.3 overs. 

Pakistani bowlers Haris Rauf and Imad Wasim ran through the Kiwis. 

Haris Rauf took four wickets against 18 runs in 3.3 overs. He is followed by Imad Wasim who took 2 wickets against two runs in only one over. 

Other bowlers including Shaheen Shah Afridi, Zaman Khan, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, and Iftikhar claimed one wicket each.  

Earlier, the home side posted 182 for all out in their allotted 19.5 overs, with the help of Saim Ayub and Fakhar Zaman, both missed their half-century by three runs against the Kiwis leaving cricket fans dejected as they were watching their batting with much anticipation.

New Zealand bowlers Matt Henry, Adam Milne, and Ben Lister restricted the home side to 182 by taking 3,2, and 2 wickets respectively.

The young batter Saim Ayoub remained impressive in the batting as he came two down after skipper Babar Azam and wicket-keeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan’s early dismissals.

Rizwan was able to score four runs in 10 balls before he was sent packing, while the skipper managed to get nine runs on the board. Adam Milne was the bowler who got both their wickets.

The opening pair was rested for last month’s Afghanistan series and the fans were excited to see their favourite batters in action, but they could not live up to the expectations in the first match.

Following their dismissals, Fakhar Zaman and Ayub’s 79-run partnership helped Pakistan get back on track. Ayub smashed 47 runs with help of six fours and two maximums.