By Naveen Abeyratne for SriLankaSports.com from Karachi
Scoring 320 for five, powered by two centuries, is one. The best show was how the New Zealanders paced their innings. A scintillating death over assault took Kiwis to a commanding total of 320 for 5 before defending champions were bowled out for 260. It was clinical cricket by Kiwis.
New Zealand started their campaign with a stylish 60 run win against the hosts of Champions Trophy at Karachi today. The disappointed Karachi crowd went back to homes, after witnessing an ICC authenticated match after 29 years. The last major ICC event held in Pakistan was 1996 World Cup.
In his new role as the opener, only Babar Azam troubled the New Zealand bowlers. Babar scored 64 off 90 balls but it was not enough to get his team on course to the victory.
Khushdil Shah made an aggressive 69 off 49 balls though, New Zealand had the game clinched in their hands already. With seven Pawickets down for 200 runs, it was a matter of reducing the margin to keep the net run rate as low as possible.
Seamer Matthew Henry bowled brilliantly to claim 2 for 25 in 7.2 overs while that towering figure of William O’Rourke doing the damage to Pakistan. He claimed 3 for 47 before the skipper Mitchell Santner finished with figures of three for 66.
New Zealand had a mediocre start, with 48 for two in 10 overs. Yet the Pakistan skipper, shifted his bowlers to send Devon Conway and Kane Williamson in the space of five balls. Daryl Mitchell didn’t last long as the scoreboard showed New Zealand three down for 73.
In the meantime, the opener, Will Young has taken control of the bowlers and he was hitting the ball at his will. The right handed opener cut, drove and pulled without a trouble while Tom Latham was setting the tempo for his cavalier innings. The fourth wicket pair added 118 runs in 126 balls to push the score to 191.
After reaching his century in 107 balls, in the 35th over, Young saw the need to accelerate the scoring rate and he fell to a slower delivery from Naseem Shah. Substitute fielder Faheem Ashrf ran from deep square leg and put a slide to grab the ball brilliantly and seconds later, Will Young was walking back to the pavilion.
By the 40th over, Latham was well on course for a big knock with 67 runs in front of his name. After the 40th over, the scoreboard read as 207 for 3 but the death over assault by the Kiwis changed the board as 256 for 4 in 45 overs and 320 for 5 after 50 overs.
New Zealanders had six wickets in hand to negotiate the death overs and then started the assault. Latham and Glenn Phillips added 125 runs in 74 balls, sharing seven sixes and 13 fours among them. Especially, Latham played too many cross bat shots and out of the 10 fours and four sixes, he hit, only one boundary came through the cover region.
In the final over, Phillips attempted to scoop the ball over third man but missed it. He was caught by Fakhar Zaman at short third man.
The most feared Pakistani bowler, Shaheen Shah Afridi gave away 68 runs without a wicket. Despite sharing four wickets among them, Naseem Shah (63/2) and Haris Rauf (83/2) were expensive than expected. That’s where the Pakistanis lost their way.
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