Phillips, Mitchell shine as NZ defeat Pakistan by 78 runs

New Zealand delivered a dominant performance in the Pakistan Tri-Nation Series, securing a 78-run victory over Pakistan in the opening cricket match on Saturday night in Lahore.

The Black Caps, led by standout innings from Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Phillips, set a commanding total of 330/5 in their allotted 50 overs.

Mitchell played a crucial knock of 81, while Phillips remained unbeaten with a stunning 106, helping New Zealand recover from an early setback.

Pakistan started strong with Fakhar Zaman (84) and Babar Azam (10) opening the innings, but only Zaman managed to make a significant impact.

The home team struggled against New Zealand’s disciplined bowling attack, eventually being bowled out for 252 with 13 balls remaining.

Matt Henry and Mitchell Santner were the pick of the bowlers for New Zealand, each taking three wickets, while Michael Bracewell added two scalps and Phillips chipped in with one.

After the match, New Zealand captain Santner credited Phillips and Bracewell for shifting the momentum in their favor.

“Glenn’s knock and his partnership with Bracewell gave us the momentum,” Santner said.

“We were looking at 280 or 300 at one stage, but Glenn’s knock was icing on the cake.

There was a bit of help for spinners, and the big wicket of Fakhar helped.

To get Fakhar and Babar is not easy.

We were able to chip in with wickets in the middle, which was good.”

Looking ahead, New Zealand will face South Africa in the second match of the series on Monday.

With this strong start, the Black Caps head into the game as favorites, with top sportsbooks listing them at -227 to secure another win and book their place in Friday’s final.

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