In a surprising turn of events, New Zealand’s dream of a clean sweep in the T20 series was shattered by Pakistan. Despite a strong start to the series, New Zealand’s poor batting performance in the final game led to an unexpected defeat.

By PakPassion Staff (21st January 2024)

New Zealand missed their chance to win all five games in their T20 series against Pakistan due to poor batting.

Playing at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Sunday, New Zealand needed only 135 runs to win. However, they only managed to score 92 in 17.2 overs, losing by 42 runs. This stopped them from making history as the first team to win 5-0 in a T20I series.

The New Zealand team struggled with batting, especially without key players Kane Williamson, Devon Conway, and Daryl Mitchell. Pakistan's score of 134-8 was the lowest total a team has successfully defended in a men's T20I in New Zealand, beating Australia's previous record of 156-6 in 2021.

Even though New Zealand won the series 4-1, they were disappointed with how they ended it. Pakistan's total seemed too low at first, but they played well with the ball and in the field.

New Zealand had a tough time scoring runs, reaching 35-2 after six overs. Halfway through their innings, they were at 54-3 and needed 81 more runs from 60 balls.

Finn Allen scored 22 from 19 balls but was caught by Haseebullah Khan. Mark Chapman got run out after a mix-up with Tim Seifert, leaving New Zealand at 54-4.

Iftikhar Ahmed, who hadn't bowled in his last eight T20Is, took three wickets for 24 runs. His bowling helped get Seifert out. Usama Mir also did well, catching out Mitchell Santner.

New Zealand played well throughout the series, but they face a bigger challenge against Australia in a three-match T20 series starting February 21 in Wellington. With the T20 World Cup coming up in June in the United States-West Indies, players are trying to secure their spots on the team.

Pakistan didn't start well with the bat after choosing to bat first on a warm day in Christchurch. Haseebullah was out early, caught by Phillips off Southee's bowling.

Pakistan scored slowly in the first six overs, making only 29 runs. Babar Azam had a tough time but was dropped twice by Mark Chapman. Eventually, Babar was out for 13 runs, caught by Phillips off Ish Sodhi's bowling, ending a 53-run partnership.

New Zealand had a few mistakes, but overall, they bowled well. Pakistan picked up the pace with Fakhar Zaman and Mohammad Rizwan, but New Zealand kept taking wickets. Fakhar's quick 33 runs ended when he was caught by Ferguson.

Pakistan was in trouble at 91-5 after losing two wickets in two balls. Sodhi took out Nawaz, and Rizwan was out on Henry's first ball of the over.

Pakistan managed to reach 134-8, which didn't seem like enough against New Zealand's strong batting. However, it turned out to be enough for a much-needed win.