The defeat means Pakistan’s rise to number one in the ODI rankings lasted just 48 hours and they are now third behind Australia and India
Pakistan’s pursuit of completing a clean sweep against New Zealand came to an end on Sunday. An all-round performance from the Kiwis saw them clinch a 47-run win over the hosts in the fifth and final ODI in Karachi. New Zealand proved too strong in the series finale, as Pakistan clinched the series 4-1 in a result that caused a major shake-up at the top of the ODI team rankings. The loss led Pakistan to relinquish the top spot on the ICC Men’s ODI Team Rankings. Only 48 hours ago, the ICC had put Pakistan on top of the ODI Team Rankings. However, their reign was cut short following the defeat against New Zealand
Chasing a target of 300, Pakistan were rocked early losing Shan Masood, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan for cheap scores. Fakhar Zaman, who has been in glorious form throughout the series, also could not make a massive contribution after being dismissed on 33 by Ravindra.
Iftikhar Ahmed and Agha Salman then embarked on a 97-run stand which gave Pakistan real hope but those were dashed as Salman was dismissed on 57 by Henry Shipley.
Iftikhar tried his level best with a knock of (94*) but it wasn’t enough as Pakistan succumbed to a 47-run defeat and were displaced from the top spot in the team ODI rankings.
Winning the toss, skipper Tom Latham opted to bat first in Karachi, with the decision proving to be the right call. Will Young missed out on a third ODI century, scoring a brilliant 87 off 91 balls. He got support from Latham, who notched up his third half-century of the series with a 58-ball 59.
Mark Chapman (43), Cole McConchie (26) and Rachin Ravindra (28) also chipped in with handy cameos as New Zealand posted a score of 299 in 49.3 overs.
If a lower-order collapse hadn’t occurred, they might have added a few more runs. Shaheen Afridi (3/46) was the best bowler for Pakistan, which was disciplined in its bowling effort.
