Inexperienced paceman Matt Henry grabbed five wickets conceding just 30 runs in his spell as he helped New Zealand grab a 68-run win over Pakistan in the fifth ODI and claim the series 3-2.
Henry knocked off the top order and then accounted for the key wickets of Sarfraz Ahmed and captain Shahid Afridi to dismiss the home team for 207 in 43.3 overs.
Haris Sohail and Ahmed Shehzad managed to score fighting half centuries, contributing 65 and 54 runs respectively to Pakistan’s scoreline, Stuff.co.nz reported.
Captain Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor missed out on centuries and lifted New Zealand’s total to 275-4 after winning the toss and choosing to bat first.
Williamson, who scored a century to level the series on Wednesday, scored 97 runs. He reached the impressive figure with eight boundaries.
Taylor remained unbeaten on 88 off 95 balls, hitting five fours and a six as he shared a 116-run third wicket stand with his skipper.
Williamson said that it was fantastic to learn from the Pakistan side and ultimately win such an evenly fought series, adding that Pakistan’s middle-order has shown how powerful they are and to not let them get on top of his side was brilliant.
Pakistan’s batsmen struggled against the pace of Henry and Adam Milne, well backed up by some brilliant ground fielding, and Shehzad had hit the solitary boundary of the innings by the 25th over.
Afridi claimed that Shehzad and Sohail’s wickets were crucial and their dismissals put Pakistan on the back foot, adding that bowlers bowled well, but added that they still gave away an extra 15-20 runs and later they lacked partnerships in batting.
Henry luckily trapped opener Nasir Jamshed lbw off the fifth delivery for a duck. Then Younis Khan gloved Henry’s short pitched delivery down the leg side and Asad Shafiq was trapped leg before wicket by left-arm spinner Anton Devcich as Pakistan stuttered at 38-3.
Shehzad and Sohail featured in the innings’ best partnership of 69 runs but New Zealand prevented them from scoring freely with tidy ground fielding.
Henry returned and had Shehzad caught at mid-on off a mistimed pull shot and Mitchell McClenaghan had Sohail clean bowled in the 39th over. The pacer then quickly wrapped up the innings by having Ahmed caught behind and Afridi was caught in the deep in the fast bowler’s successive overs, the report added.
–ANI