Rauf blows New Zealand away with career-best T20I spell
15 April, 2023
Pakistan 182 (Ayub 47, Fakhar 47, Henry 3-32, Lister 2-30) beat New Zealand 94 (Chapman 34, Latham 20, Rauf 4-18, Imad 2-2) by 88 runs
The first game of this series did little to dispel the impression this is a clash of unequals, as a full-strength Pakistan side swept New Zealand aside, cruising to an 88-run win. A 79-run stand off 43 balls between Fakhar Zaman and Saim Ayub - each of whom scored a breezy 47 - set Pakistan up for an imposing total on a surface that offered plenty to the fast bowlers. It meant the 182 Pakistan were bowled out for was still well above par, especially against a bowling line-up of their quality. And it took them just 15.3 overs to bowl New Zealand out for 94.
It was perhaps appropriate that the first T20I in Lahore saw the PSL 2023 champions Lahore Qalandars' golden triumvirate all feature, and each made their presence felt in a significant way. Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf and Zaman Khan each accounted for a top three wicket while Faheem Ashraf chipped in to extinguish a brief cameo from Daryl Mitchell. It reduced New Zealand to 56 for 4 in the 11th over, leaving them with an asking rate in excess of 13.
New Zealand's lower order batting experience and Pakistan's irresistible bowling class meant it was a mismatch. The end came rather quickly, with the last five wickets falling for six runs.
Fakhar, Ayub light up Lahore
There are few line-ups that wouldn't be enriched by having Ayub and Fakhar opening the batting in a T20, but with Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan back, they each dropped down a position. However, Adam Milne's pace posed all sorts of problems even for a duo of that class, and within the first five overs, the New Zealand quick had cleaned up both Pakistan's captain and wicketkeeper.
The powerplay was almost done, but that did not stymie Fakhar and Ayub's belligerence. A pair of fours by Ayub in the sixth over set the tone. Three fours in the ninth over that took Jimmy Neesham apart saw the momentum shift, but it was the following two overs that saw New Zealand lose complete control. Sodhi had leaked just two runs in his first over, but Fakhar and Ayub smashed a six each in his second, before Milne, the best bowler up until that point, received the same treatment in the next. The duo hammered 46 runs between overs nine to 11, and Pakistan were well on track.
Henry scores a hat-trick as New Zealand hit back
If there's a smidge of comfort New Zealand can draw from this contest, it's the possibility of Pakistan's lower middle order having a weak underbelly. With most of the batters natural top order players, New Zealand began to chip away menacingly. Matt Henry returned to dispatch Shadab Khan and Iftikhar Ahmed off successive deliveries putting him on a hat-trick, while Sodhi removed Fakhar at the other end. Four wickets fell for 22 runs, and the visitors sniffed an opportunity to skittle Pakistan out.
It was squandered, however, and a cameo from Imad Wasim and Faheem Ashraf dug Pakistan out of trouble, and a pair of boundaries from Rauf helped Pakistan get past 180. There was consolation for New Zealand, though, as Matt Henry returned for the final over and struck with his first ball thanks to a superb boundary catch. It gave him a hat-trick, and helped bowl Pakistan out within the allotted 20 overs.
Pakistan hurt New Zealand with pace
Zaman, Afridi and Rauf are a feared attack for any line-up on any pitch, and they were too hot to handle for New Zealand. In pursuit of 183, they were never able to keep up with the run rate or, indeed conserve enough wickets to hold out any hopes of taking the game deep. It took Zaman just three deliveries to strike, squaring Chad Bowes up, before Afridi cleaned Will Young up with a classical inswinger, the batter's loose stroke no match for the ball.
It gave Pakistan enough breathing room not to worry when a pair of counterattacking innings from Neesham and Mark Chapman helped restore some scoreboard respectability. The impression that Pakistan could finish off the game almost whenever they chose was distinct, and it perhaps showed in the manner the game hurtled towards its conclusion. Once Neesham holed out to Rauf, New Zealand collapsed in a heap. Imad dismissed Milne and Henry before Rauf returned to knock back Ben Lister's stumps, giving him figures of 4 for 18 - his career-best numbers in T20Is.
Source: www.espncricinfo.com
TAG(s):