KEY POINTS
- Nawaz and Agha Shine with Unbroken 133-Run Partnership
- Fourth Highest Non-Opening Partnership in Pakistan’s T20 History
- Quickest 200-Plus Target Chase: Fewest Balls Faced in T20s
- Historic Run Rate: 12.93 Runs Per Over Sets New Team Record
- Pakistan Hits 12 Sixes: Most in a Single T20I Innings for Pakistan
Pakistan recorded one of the most dominant wins in T20I cricket’s history as they chased down their target of 205 one wicket down in just 16 overs against New Zealand in Auckland.
This remarkable feat marks the fastest 200-plus run chase ever recorded, with Hasan Nawaz dazzling onlookers by securing his first T20I century in only his third international outing, having previously gone scoreless in his initial matches. He was well-supported by the dynamic Mohammad Haris and the astute captain Salman Ali Agha.
New Zealand, entering the match with a winning streak following dominant performances in the first two games of the series, had previously bowled Pakistan out for a paltry 91 in the opener and successfully chased down 136 in a rain-shortened affair.
During the Black Caps’ innings, Mark Chapman showcased his batting prowess, racking up an impressive 94 runs off just 44 balls, peppering the boundary with 15 hits. Captain Michael Bracewell added a brisk 31, propelling New Zealand to a total of 204. However, this total turned out to be their fourth highest losing score in T20Is and marked their second defeat this year when scoring over 200, the first being against Sri Lanka in January after they had posted 211.
Historically, New Zealand has faced defeat five times while scoring 200 or more runs in men’s T20I matches, with all losses occurring on home soil, three of which took place in Auckland.
For Pakistan, this epic innings represented their third-highest score in T20Is and the second-highest successful chase, only trailing their 208 against the West Indies in Karachi back in December 2021, a match featuring contributions from Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam, neither of whom are part of this ongoing series.
The unbroken second-wicket partnership of 133 runs between Nawaz and Agha stands as Pakistan’s fourth-highest non-opening collaboration, guiding the team to the second-fewest balls faced in successfully achieving a 200-plus target across all T20 matches.
With their score of 207 in 16 overs, Pakistan achieved an astonishing run rate of 12.93 runs per over—the highest ever recorded for the team in T20Is—bolstered by a remarkable 12 sixes, the most ever hit by Pakistan in a single T20I inning.
Nawaz’s scintillating 105 not out boasted the fourth-highest strike rate for any innings over 50 runs for Pakistan, and it marked the highest strike rate for a Pakistani century in T20Is.
Nawaz also became the fourth Pakistani opener to notch a T20I century, nearly 11 years after Ahmed Shehzad first accomplished the feat against Bangladesh during the 2014 World T20. The other two notable names on this list are Rizwan and Babar, with Rizwan holding the most recent century before Nawaz’s in 2023.
Furthermore, Nawaz achieved the distinction of being the first Pakistani opener to score a century in New Zealand across all formats in 14 years, the last being Shehzad’s ODI century. This win not only marked Pakistan’s first victory in T20Is after six attempts but also their first triumph against a higher-ranked side in the ICC T20I rankings in 11 tries.
With this exhilarating victory, Pakistan regained momentum in the series and aims to level the five-match T20I series on Sunday at Mount Maunganui.
