New Zealand won the contest by 115 runs. © Getty New Zealand produced a ruthless all-round performance to seal a series-clinching 115-run win against Pakistan in the fourth T20I. Put into bat, the Black Caps rode on explosive knocks from Finn Allen (50 off 20) and Tim Seifert (44 off 22) while Michael Bracewell (46* off 26) fired at the back end to power the hosts to a strong total of 220. Unlike the previous game, Pakistan’s chase never got going at all as they were bowled out for 105 with New Zealand’s pacers ripping Pakistan’s inexperienced batting unit apart. The dimensions at Mount Maunganui are bigger than Eden Park but it was another lovely batting surface with lot of pace and bounce in it. Salman Ali Agha opted to bowl, hoping for a repeat of the previous game but once again, New Zealand got off to a fiery start in the PowerPlay. Seifert and Allen went bonkers, taking down everything that was thrown at them. The former dominated the opening stand of 59 before falling to a sharp catch at deep square leg. Allen then took over as the home side raced to 79 in the first six overs. Mark Chapman also started well but was castled by Haris Rauf to give Pakistan some respite. However, Allen’s assault had New Zealand breathing fire at 134/1 with a total of 250 looking a realistic possibility. But the opener fell first ball after the drinks break and Pakistan then put on the squeeze for the next few overs, like they had done at Eden Park. After being very expensive early on, Abrar Ahmed struck twice with the scalps of Jimmy Neesham and Mitchell Hay as the Black Caps endured a slight wobble. Daryl Mitchell (29 off 23) and Bracewell, however, ensured that the innings didn’t fall off the cliff with a measured stand. The southpaw batted deep and smashed the ball around a fair bit to get New Zealand to 220. It was a very challenging score, given the lively nature of the pitch. The bigger dimensions meant that mishits wouldn’t carry for boundaries either and Pakistan’s chase was virtually over even before it could get off the blocks. William O’Rourke got rid of Mohammad Haris in the very first over while last game’s centurion Hasan Nawaz fell next over to Jacob Duffy. Duffy struck again in the same over to get rid of skipper Salman as Pakistan fell to 9/3 in a jiffy. Irfan Khan (24 off 16) and Abdul Samad (44 off 30) were the only batters to get into double digits. They were also the only batters who managed to counter the pace and bounce offered by the pitch. Wickets kept falling at regular intervals and if not for the duo’s resistance, the margin of defeat would have been far more embarrassing. Duffy picked up a four-fer while Zakary Foulkes picked up three wickets to have Pakistan in shambles. Brief scores: New Zealand 220/6 in 20 overs (Finn Allen 50, Michael Bracewell 46*; Haris Rauf 3-27) beat Pakistan 105 in 16.2 overs (Abdul Samad 44; Jacob Duffy 4-20, Zakary Foulkes 3-25) by 115 runs.
