10:08 PM IST & Local Time | Deepak: Mark Chapman finishes things in style and New Zealand chased down a hefty total with ease, outplaying Pakistan by 5 wickets with 38 balls to spare in the warm-up game. Earlier, after deciding to bat first, Pakistan posted a hefty 345/5 at the end of 50 overs. They got off to a shaky start, losing Shafique and Imam-ul-Haq cheaply. Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan started building the partnership in the middle, and the duo laid a solid foundation for the upcoming batters. Babar departed after playing a fine knock of 80 runs, while Rizwan continued his merry ways to notch up his three-digit figure and retired after scoring 103 runs.
Shakeel played a crucial role in accelerating the scoring rate in the latter part of the innings, playing a scintillating knock of 75 runs off 53 balls. In the final overs, Shadab Khan made a quickfire 16 runs with a couple of big hits before getting out in the last over. Salman and Iftikhar Ahmed remained unbeaten on 33 and seven runs, respectively. Pakistan concluded their innings with a total of 345/5 on the scoreboard. Santner bagged a couple of wickets for the Black Caps, while Matt Henry, Neesham, and Lockie Ferguson contributed one wicket.
In pursuit of a hefty 345 runs, Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra spearheaded the innings for the Black Caps, but they lost Conway on a golden duck in the second over. Kane Williamson joined Rachin at number three, and the duo started building a partnership. Rachin struggled to time the ball in the first few overs, but after playing a few deliveries, the southpaw found his rhythm and started scoring at a brisk pace. On the other hand, Williamson, who was making his comeback after an injury, looked in sublime form in the middle, scoring at a decent pace.
Williamson completed his half-century and got retired after scoring 54 runs off 50 balls. Rachin continued his merry ways and was inching towards his three-digit figure but fell prey to Agha Salman, falling just 3 runs short of his century. Following the wicket of Rachin, the Black Caps lost Tom Latham (18 off 13) and Glenn Phillips (3 off 7) quickly.
Daryl Mitchell and Mark Chapman took control of scoring runs in the middle, with both batters looking in good touch. Mitchell retired after completing his half-century, providing an opportunity for James Neesham to step into the field, who contributed 33 runs off 21 runs before falling prey to Wasim Jr. Chapman remained unbeaten on 65 runs, finishing the game with a biggie.
Pakistan bowlers failed to defend 345 runs and kept leaking runs at regular intervals. Usama Mir bagged a couple of wickets for Pakistan, while Hasan Ali, Agha Salman, and Mohammad Wasim Jr contributed one wicket.
Stay tuned for the post-match captains' speaking. 🗣