Tri-Nation Series
\nMitchell and Latham remained top scorers with 57, 56 runs respectively followed by Conway\u2019s 48
\n Karachi
\nPakistan faced a five-wicket defeat by New Zealand as the visitors easily chased a 243-run target to win the Tri-Nation Series final played at the National Bank Stadium, Karachi, on Friday.
\nWill O\u2019Rourke\u2019s four-wicket haul, followed by half-centuries from Daryl Mitchell and Tom Latham, led New Zealand to win the ODI tri-series.
\nChasing a modest 243-run target, the visitors comfortably knocked the winning runs for the loss of five wickets and 28 balls to spare.
\nThe Blackcaps, however, got off to a contrasting start to the pursuit as their opener Will Young (five) fell victim to Naseem Shah in the second over with just five runs on the board.
\nFollowing the early hiccup, Kane Williamson put together an anchoring 71-run partnership for the second wicket with Devon Conway to put his side in a comfortable position.
\nAll-rounder Salman Ali Agha broke the threatening partnership in the 18th over by getting rid of Williamson, who scored a sensible 34 off 49 deliveries with the help of three fours and a six.
\nConway was then involved in a brief 31-run partnership with Mitchell before falling victim to Naseem just before the halfway mark.
\nThe left-handed opener scored 48 off 74 deliveries, laced with five boundaries.
\nMitchell then partnered with wicketkeeper Latham to add 87 runs to the total and put New Zealand in a comfortable position.
\nThe match-defining stand ended with Mitchell\u2019s dismissal soon after amassing his half-century. He remained the top-scorer for New Zealand with 57 off 58 deliveries with the help of six boundaries.
\nLatham, on the other hand, walked back in the 45th over when his side needed 11 more runs to clinch the victory. He smashed five boundaries on his way to a 64-ball 56.
\nIn-form Glenn Phillips gave the final touches to the run chase and powered them over the line in the 46th over with an unbeaten cameo of 20.
\nFor Pakistan, Naseem took two wickets, while Abrar Ahmed, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Agha shared three between them.
\nOpting to bat first, Pakistan managed to accumulate 242 before getting bowled out in 49.3 overs despite an anchoring fourth-wicket partnership between skipper Mohammad Rizwan and all-rounder Salman Ali Agha.
\nThe home side got off to a shaky start to their innings as their in-form opener Fakhar Zaman fell victim to Will O\u2019Rourke in the fourth over with just 16 runs on the board.
\nFollowing the early hiccup, Saud Shakeel and Babar Azam put together a brief 30-run partnership until both perished in quick succession, bringing the total down to 54\/3 in 11.5 overs.
\nSaud made a scratchy 14-ball eight, while Babar scored 29 off 34 deliveries with the help of five boundaries including a six.
\nPakistan\u2019s in-form batters Agha and Rizwan then tried to launch the recovery by adding 88 runs to the total.
\nThe crucial stand culminated with Rizwan\u2019s dismissal in the 32nd over, while Agha followed suit five overs later, resulting in Pakistan slipping to 161\/5.
\nRizwan remained the top-scorer for the home side with a cautious 46 off 76 deliveries, laced with four fours and a six, while Agha made a 65-ball 45 with the help of one four and a six.
\nMiddle-order batter Tayyab Tahir knitted a one-sided partnership with Khushdil Shah before both perished in the span of eight deliveries.
\nTayyab smashed five boundaries including a six on his way to a 33-ball 38.
\nAll-rounder Faheem Ashraf and tailender Naseem Shah then added valuable runs at the backend with brisk cameos.
\nThe duo also shared an important 39-run partnership for the ninth wicket, which concluded with Ashraf\u2019s dismissal on the first delivery of the final over.
\nAshraf made 22 off 21 deliveries with the help of two boundaries, while Naseem made 19.
\nWill O\u2019Rourke was the standout bowler for New Zealand, taking four wickets for 43 runs in 9.3 overs, while Michael Bracewell and Mitchell Santner bagged two each.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Tri-Nation Series Mitchell and Latham remained top scorers with 57, 56 runs respectively followed by Conway\u2019s 48 Karachi Pakistan faced a five-wicket defeat by New Zealand as the visitors easily chased a 243-run target to win the Tri-Nation Series final played at the National Bank Stadium, Karachi, on Friday. Will O\u2019Rourke\u2019s four-wicket haul, followed by […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":461712,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-461699","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n