KARACHI: It was supposed to be the day Pakistan could go one step closer to become the world’s top One-day International side. Coming into the second game of the three-match series against New Zealand on the back of nine consecutive wins, that shouldn’t have been a big ask for the hosts.

But it spun too much for Pakistan’s liking after New Zealand, who once threatened to accumulate a mammoth total, put up 261 — a target that Pakistan fell short of by 79 runs here at the National Stadium on Wednesday.

The result also ruled out the possibility of Pakistan making a clean sweep, which was required to take them to the top of the ICC ODI rankings.

The total looked reachable for Pakistan before New Zealand brought spinners into the attack. And despite skipper Babar Azam’s fighting 79 off 114 balls, the hosts failed to control the proceedings.

Pakistan were dealt early blows losing openers Imam-ul-Haq and Fakhar Zaman with the latter falling first after edging pacer Tim Southee to wicket-keeper Tom Latham.

Imam was undone by Southee’s new-ball partner Lockie Ferguson as a short one by the right-armer drew the batter into a miscued pull shot to get caught by Daryl Mitchell at square leg.

It was now down to Babar and Rizwan to rescue Pakistan. The duo did ensure Pakistan don’t lose more wickets, at least until the 20th over, but at the expense of safety the hosts’ run-rate nosedived drastically.

Babar started his knock with a flick of wrists off Southee for four before pulling Ferguson for another. He hit another boundary off Southee through the off side. Rizwan, meanwhile, pulled Ferguson for his first four before Babar swept spinner Mitchell Santner for another in the 10th over. Pakistan’s next boundary came five overs later and at that point, the hosts were playing at a run-rate of less than four.

The partnership was broken when Rizwan was cleaned up by Santner after adding just 28 off 50 balls. His stand with Babar was worth 55 runs that came off 99 balls. The dismissal left Pakistan reeling at 64-3 with 198 runs required off the next 30 overs.

Pakistan scored their first boundary in 10 overs when Babar cut spinner Ish Sodhi through backward point but that only happened before Haris Sohail was trapped lbw by Glenn Phillips, reducing the hosts to 86-4.

The arrival of Agha Salman at the crease gave Pakistan some hope when the batter looked to sweep the spinners, a shot that Babar and Rizwan did not utilise on a surface conducive to spin bowling.

Salman got his first boundary thanks to a reverse sweep against Phillips in the 29th over, which saw Pakistan score 10 runs. The right-hander then squeezed a full and wide delivery by Ferguson for his second four before confusion between him and Babar saw Salman get run out at the non-striker’s end. He could add only 25 runs off 22 deliveries.

Babar brought up his fifty in 86 balls with a flick for a boundary off Ferguson before cutting the pacer for another two overs later but after that the Pakistan skipper was only a spectator of the dismissals of his partners at the other end.

All-rounder Mohammad Nawaz played off-spinner Michael Bracewell onto his stumps before Usama Mir departed after hitting a four and a six. Mohammad Wasim was the next to depart, it was another run-out.

It was all but over when Babar lost his balance while trying to reverse sweep Sodhi to be adjudged stumped following a DRS review.

“We played the fast bowlers well but it got difficult when the spinners came into the attack,” Babar said after the match. “Rizwan and myself planned to take the game deep and analyse the situation in 40 overs but we had to keep wickets in hand for that which did not happen.

“The ball was spinning sharply which made shot-making difficult.”

Earlier after New Zealand elected to bat first, Nawaz drove Pakistan’s comeback after the visitors’ captain Kane Williamson and opener Devon Conway had counterattacked following opener Finn Allen’s early departure.

The left-arm spinner went on to take four wickets in the last four overs of his bowling quota, as New Zealand descended from 183-1 in the 30th over to 206-6 in the 37th.

Conway and Williamson had combined for 181 quick runs for the second wicket before Naseem Shah dismissed the former after his 92-ball 101 that included 13 fours and a six.

Nawaz was reintroduced into the attack in the next over -- the 31st -- and struck on the second over of his spell, when he found the outside edge of Daryl Mitchell, who had joined Williamson at the crease, with a ball that spun away sharply from the right-hander.

Two balls later, he trapped left-hander Tom Latham lbw bowling from over the wicket, with the dismissial finalised following a DRS review.

Nawaz’s next victim was Williamson, who was beaten by another ripper to get castled for the second time in as many matches, missing his century by just five runs.

Glenn Phillips was the next to depart as he found Fakhar at deep fine leg off Nawaz.

The New Zealand tail was wiped off courtesy Usama, who trapped Bracewell lbw before Haris Rauf cleaned up Sodhi and Naseem got the better of Southee and contributed in the run-out of Santner, whose 37 off 40 took the visitors to a competitive total.

Naseem’s strike in the first over -- a feat that he achieved in the first ODI -- to dismiss Allen this time, did not mean Pakistan would go on to keep taking wickets at regular intervals.

What followed was the partnership between Williamson and Conway, who slashed Haris between cover and point for New Zealand’s first boundary.

Four balls later, Williamson opened his boundary account with a similar shot off Naseem. The duo went on to hit boundaries in each over until the eighth over, which also saw New Zealand bring up their fifty runs.

In the seventh, Conway had dispatched a sloppy Naseem for three fours.

New Zealand’s run-rate did come down after the spinners were introduced but it was still just under run-a-ball.

Williamson and Conway brought up their fifties in the 19th over. Three overs later, Williamson was granted two reprieves when Haris Sohail failed to latch on a high catch at short midwicket before Rizwan spilled a chance down the leg-side.

With pace reintroduced, Conway smashed Wasim for New Zealand’s first six in the 25th over, slashing the fielder square over the offside.

The left-hander finished the over with another boundary as New Zealand reached 157-1.

Conway took on Usama for three boundaries off reverse sweeps two overs later to bring up his century off just 89 balls.

It was all over for him, however, when Naseem knocked off his off stump and Nawaz was brought back into the attack.

“Even though we had a good partnership, maybe 300 wasn’t realistic... we got to a par total in the end,” said Williamson. “We knew it would be a tough chase. We knew we had to get little bit out of the surface, and the two seamers set the tone for us.”

Scoreboard

NEW ZEALAND:

F. Allen c Nawaz b Naseem 1

D. Conway b Naseem 101

K. Williamson b Nawaz 85

D. Mitchell c Rizwan b Nawaz 5

T. Latham lbw Nawaz 2

G. Phillips c Fakhar b Nawaz 3

M. Bracewell lbw Usama 8

M. Santner run out 37

I. Sodhi b Haris Rauf 7

T. Southee c Usama b Naseem 0

L. Ferguson not out 0

EXTRAS (LB-2, W-10) 12

TOTAL (all out, 49.5 overs) 261

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-2 (Allen), 2-183 (Conway), 3-196 (Mitchell), 4-198 (Latham), 5-201 (Williamson), 6-206 (Phillips), 7-220 (Bracewell), 8-238 (Sodhi), 9-240 (Southee)

BOWLING: Naseem 8.5-0-58-3 (2w), Haris Rauf 10-0-47-1 (3w), Wasim 7-0-46-0 (3w), Nawaz 10-0-38-4, Usama 10-0-42-1 (1w), Salman 4-0-28-0 (1w)

PAKISTAN:

Fakhar Zaman c Latham b Southee 0

Imam ul-Haq c Mitchell b Ferguson 6

Babar Azam st Latham b Sodhi 79

Mohammad Rizwan b Santner 28

Haris Sohail lbw Phillips 10

Agha Salman run out 25

Mohammad Nawaz b Bracewell 3

Usama Mir c Latham b Southee 12

Muhammad Wasim run out 10

Naseem Shah not out 0

Haris Rauf c Bracewell b Sodhi 0

EXTRAS (B-3, LB-1, W-5) 9

TOTAL (all out, 43.0 overs) 182

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-6 (Fakhar), 2-9 (Imam), 3-64 (Rizwan), 4-86 (Haris Sohail), 5-124 (Salman), 6-142 (Nawaz), 7-158 (Usama), 8-173 (Wasim), 9-182 (Babar)

BOWLING: Southee 6-1-33-2 (1w), Ferguson 7-0-31-1 (2w), Santner 10-0-34-1 (1w), Bracewell 10-0-29-1, Sodhi 8-0-38-2 (1w), Phillips 2-0-13-1

RESULT: New Zealand won by 79 runs.

Published in Dawn, January 12th, 2023