NZ VS PAK 1ST T20I

Right then, the first T20I of this long five-match series is done and dusted and we have all witnessed a highly entertaining game. The action now moves to Seddon Park in Hamilton for the 2nd T20I which will be played on Sunday, 14 January and will begin at 11.40 am IST (6.10 am GMT). Our build-up though will begin much sooner. So, do join us then. Till then, take care and goodbye!

Kane Williamson, the captain of New Zealand says that the initial partnerships got them to that total which they were not sure would've been enough. He credits the bowlers for bowling great lines and lengths and gives a special mention to Tim Southee for his outstanding figures on such ground. He further talks about Tim Southee and credits his hard work and says he is pretty proud of the way Tim performs against tough sides like Pakistan. He then says it's great to see a fantastic crowd and good support for both teams. He concludes that there are just a few things to work on but everything seemed to go well in this game.

Pakistan's skipper Shaheen Afridi says that it is a proud moment for him to captain Pakistan. Mentions that it was not easy for the pacers due to the short boundaries but it is just the start. States that they will try to give their best in the next games. Credits Kane Williamson and Daryl Mitchell for the way they batted. Feels that the debut from Abbas Afridi and Saim Ayub's innings were the positives and adds that they need to give youngsters time ahead of the World Cup. Ends by saying that they will be playing back-to-back games and feels that they need to be more accurate with the ball.

Daryl Mitchell is the Player of the Match for his fabulous knock. He starts off saying that you never know what is a good total here and the partnership between him and Kane Williamson and then with Glenn Phillips allowed them to get to that total. He then says that everybody has plans in place and the wicket has good pace and bounce to offer although good cricketing shots will get you runs. He then concludes that he loves playing for the country and coming out in front of such great crowds.

The Presentation ceremony...

Earlier in the game, Pakistan won the toss and opted to field first on what looked like a pristine wicket. Shaheen Afridi dismissed Devon Conway in the first over itself but then came the hammering from Finn Allen who did get out on a No Ball and mustered up quick runs before falling inside the Powerplay yet again. It was then the dynamic duo of Kane Williamson and Daryl Mitchell that came good for New Zealand once again and the latter simply smashed it to all parts of the ground. Adam Milne hit a few lusty blows and Mark Chapman's stellar cameo in the end took the Black Caps to a mammoth total of 226. For Pakistan, the debutant Abbas Afridi stood out with the ball as he took three scalps and remained fairly economical given the runs scored in the game and so did Haris Rauf. Rest of the bowlers were handed a thumping and two of them even conceded more than 50 runs in their 4 overs. Coming to the chase, the game hung in the balance for a long time but when it really mattered, the hosts got the wickets and sealed the win.

Pakistan will be kicking themselves as they were ahead of the required rate in the Powerplay and even inside the first 10 overs but they simply made a few critical errors that cost them dearly. Saim Ayub started in fantastic style but a bit too much eagerness cost him his wicket as he was run out early in the game. Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam kept up the good work but Rizwan couldn't cash in on the brilliant start. Fakhar Zaman came in and went away after a start as well and so did Iftikhar Ahmed leaving too much to do for Babar Azam. Babar did score a quick fifty but with wickets tumbling at the other end, he too couldn't hold on for much longer. After Babar's wicket, the tail just crumbled and what could have been a win turned into a huge loss instead.

What a high-scoring contest we have witnessed at Eden Park in Auckland! A shade over 400 runs were scored but in the end, it was the home side, New Zealand who were able to get those crucial wickets in the latter half of the chase and have taken the early 1-0 lead in the five-match series with a huge win. New Zealand were peppered early on by the Pakistani openers and conceded plenty of boundaries throughout the Powerplay but they were able to get a couple of wickets inside the first 6 overs. After that, the runs kept on flowing but a stunning catch off his own bowling by Ish Sodhi sent the dangerous Fakhar Zaman packing and the Kiwis were able to stem the flow of runs a bit. The pacers then made good use of the slower ball in the second half and were brilliantly led by the experienced Tim Southee who finished with 4 wickets and went past the 150 T20I wickets, the first male player to do so. Ben Sears and Adam Milne were ablso able to get wickets off those slower deliveries and the catching remained unblemished towards the end.

OUT! WHAT A CATCH! Tim Southee takes two in the over to wrap up the proceedings! Southee digs it in short, outside off, pace off again, Haris Rauf waits for the ball to arrive and tries to flat bat this one but gets it off the bottom half of the bat. Skies it high in the air towards cover-point. Mark Chapman keeps his eyes on the ball all the way through and settles under the skier. The ball swirls away a bit at the last moment but Chapman reacts well to dive to his right and takes it. New Zealand win by 46 runs and go 1-0 up in the series!

Swing and a miss! Slower and on a good length, outside of, Haris Rauf swings blindly as he looks to hack it across the line but fails to connect.

Haris Rauf is the last man in for Pakistan.

OUT! TAKEN! There it is, the 150th T20I wicket for Tim Southee! Another one bites the dust for Pakistan and New Zealand are closing in on a comfortable victory! Slower and shorter, outside off, Abbas Afridi backs away and tries to slap this one on the off side. No pace on the ball means that he has to generate power to clear the fence. He fails to do so and hits it only as far as deep cover. Matt Henry stationed in the deep, runs in and dives forward to complete the catch. Tim Southee gets his third wicket and New Zealand are just a wicket away from taking the lead in the series!

Short of a length, on middle and leg, Aamer Jamal flat bats it down to long on for a run.

Bangs it in short, on off, Abbas Afridi goes for the pull but gets a top edge that flies down to third man where Ben Sears does well to keep the ball in play and keeps it to just a single.

Slower and on a length, pushed away to cover for a single by Aamer Jamal.

Abbas Afridi walks out to bat now.

OUT! IN THE AIR AND GONE! It's that Sears-Williamson combination again! Hurls it at pace on a back of a length, on middle, Usama Mir stays rooted in his crease as he looks to pull it in front of square on the leg side. Gets undone by a bit of extra bounce and pace as well. The ball hits him high on the bat and lobs tamely towards extra cover where Kane Williamson dives forward to complete an easy catch.