Pakistan crushed New Zealand by nine wickets at Eden Park, recording the fastest-ever 200+ T20I chase thanks to Hasan Nawaz’s unbeaten 105.
Pakistan stun NZ with fastest 200+ T20I chase
Pakistan pulled off a historic run chase at Eden Park on Friday night, smashing the record for the fastest-ever pursuit of 200+ in T20 internationals with a nine-wicket demolition of New Zealand.
Coming into the third match of the series as clear outsiders, Pakistan were paying as much as +300 with the top cricket betting sites after being thumped in the opening two games.
With the Black Caps at just -400 pre-match and even shorter during the first innings, few would have expected such a turnaround.
New Zealand looked on track for a massive total early, with Tim Seifert (19 off 9) and Mark Chapman (94 off 44) tearing through the powerplay.
At 3/135 in the 12th over, a 250+ score seemed possible. But after Shaheen Shah Afridi removed Chapman just shy of his hundred, the collapse began.
Abrar Ahmed triggered a middle-order slump with two wickets in two balls, and the hosts limped to 204 all out with Michael Bracewell (31 off 18) and Ish Sodhi (10 off 10) salvaging something from the tail.
Despite their batting struggles in the first two games, Pakistan flipped the script with a record-setting reply.
Hasan Nawaz produced one of the great knocks in T20I history, belting an unbeaten 105 off just 45 deliveries – the highest-ever T20I score by a Pakistani batter – to lead his team to victory with four overs to spare.
Mohammad Haris (41 off 20) set the tone alongside Nawaz before Salman Agha (51* off 31) finished the job, ensuring Pakistan didn’t lose another wicket after the early breakthrough.
New Zealand’s bowlers had no answers. Kyle Jamieson had a night to forget, conceding 54 from four wicketless overs after being dismissed for a golden duck.
“I think it’s an outstanding performance,” said Pakistan skipper Agha after the match.
“A full proper game. Bowlers started really well; we took early wickets which was missing in the first two games. The two youngsters batted really well. I thought 200 is par here, it’s a good ground for batting. I just said, we can chase this down. We knew it was do or die and we just wanted to enjoy and now looking forward to the next game.”
With the series still alive, the two sides head to Mount Maunganui for the fourth T20I on Sunday.
Top sportsbooks have slashed Pakistan’s odds to +175 to level the series, while New Zealand remain favourites at -227.27.
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