Pakistan’s captain Shaheen Shah Afridi won the toss and opted to bowl first against the hosts. The opening duo of Allen and Devon Conway made an impressive start, aggressively putting runs on the board. They formed a solid partnership of 59 runs before Conway was dismissed by Aamer Jamal in the sixth over.
Despite this setback, Allen continued his aggressive approach, forging another 52-run partnership, this time with Kane Williamson. However, Williamson had to leave the field due to hamstring tightness, interrupting the partnership.
Undeterred, Allen went on to complete his half-century, scoring a blistering 74 runs off 41 balls, comprising seven boundaries and five sixes. His aggressive innings inflicted significant damage. Daryl Mitchell and Mitchell Santner contributed 17 and 25 runs, respectively, aiding New Zealand in reaching a total of 194 for 8 in the first innings. Haris Rauf stood out as the top-performing bowler for Pakistan, claiming three crucial wickets while conceding 38 runs in four overs.
Facing a challenging target of 195, Pakistan encountered a disastrous start as openers Saim Ayub and Mohammad Rizwan were dismissed within the first two overs. Tim Southee, who made history by becoming the first men’s cricketer to pick 150 T20I wickets, initiated the proceedings for the Kiwis.
Kiwis’ power