Hassan Nawaz Fastest Century Helps Pak Win Vs NZ: Pakistan defeated New Zealand in the third T20I between the two teams by nine wickets to keep the series alive as youngster Hassan Nawaz scored the fastest century for a Pakistani, helping his team chase down a 200+ target comfortably.
The third of the five New Zealand vs Pakistan T20Is was played in Eden Park in Auckland and saw the visitors win the toss and decide to bowl first. At this point, the Kiwis were 2-0 up in this series, and a win here would win them the series. On the other hand, the Men in Green needed a win here to keep this series alive.
In the very first over, Pakistan showed they were here to play, as Shaheen Afridi pitched the ball at opener Finn Allen’s feet, who flicked the ball. Standing at backwards square leg, Haris Rauf caught a stunning diving catch to dismiss Allen for 3.
Hassan Nawaz Fastest Century Helps Pak Win Vs NZ
While wickets kept falling from one end of the Black Caps, they maintained a high run rate. This was because of Mark Chapman sticking to one end and playing a blistering knock. Both openers were out before the end of the powerplay, and three wickets fell in the first 10 overs. By the time Chapman got out in the 13th, the score was 141/5 as the 30-year-old scored 94 in 44 deliveries.
With some late flourish by the captain, Michael Bracewell, who scored 31 off 18, New Zealand crossed the 200-run mark, getting all out on the penultimate ball of the inning for 204.
Besides taking an awe-inspiring catch, Haris Rauf was also the pick of the bowlers, bowling a four-over spell for 3/29 with an economy of 7.25.
The Pakistani batters came out to bat with a lot of pressure. Not only were they chasing a big target, but the series was, in a way, on the line. And with this in mind, Mohammad Haris and Hassan Nawaz came in to bat and took the Kiwi bowling apart. They crossed the 70-run mark within the powerplay, and by the time Haris was dismissed for 41 off 20, the team score was 74/1 in 5.5 overs.
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Then came in captain Salman Ali Agha, who also kept up with the pace of scoring but took a backseat to Nawaz, who dictated the show during the inning, making quick runs and making it look easy. He played an incredible inning of 105 in 44 balls with 10 fours, 7 sixes, and a strike rate of 233.33.
In fact, his was the fastest century for a Pakistani batter in T20Is. His 44-ball-ton was five deliveries faster than the previous record holder, Babar Azam, who scored one in 49 balls against South Africa in Centurion in 2021.
In the end, Salman Agha’s men won the match by nine wickets, with Nawaz being unbeaten for 105 and the skipper having scored 51 off 31. This nine-wicket win has kept the series alive, with Pakistan having to win the next two matches to take home the trophy.
The fourth of five New Zealand vs Pakistan T20Is will be played on Sunday, March 23, at the Bay Oval in Mount Maunganui.
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