Rawalpindi | Pakistan defeated New Zealand by 5 wickets in the first ODI and took a 1-0 lead in the five-match ODI series. Pakistan won the toss and invited New Zealand to bat first. New Zealand posted a score of 288 for the loss of 7 wickets in the 50 overs with the Daniel Mitchell’s brilliant century 113 and Will Young’s brilliant 86 runs. Naseem Shah bowled brilliantly and took 2 wickets for just 29 runs in 10 overs. Shaheen Afridi and Harish Rauf also took 2-2 wickets. Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq got Pakistan off to a flying start and shared a 124-run partnership for the first wicket to lay the foundation for victory. Imam-ul-Haq got out after scoring 60 runs, after Imam’s dismissal, Babar Azam took the control on the game with Fakhar Zaman, Babar scored an inning of 49 runs and Fakhar Zaman was dismissed after scoring 117 runs, at the end of the innings, Mohammad Rizwan played an important inning of 42 runs in 34 balls, Pakistan achieved the target of victory in 48.3 overs. Adam Milne took 2 wickets for 60 runs. Naseem Shah was awarded man of the match for his economical bowling.
Brief Scores:
New Zealand: 7/288 over 50, Daniel Mitchell 113, Will Young 86, Naseem Shah 2/29, Shaheen Afridi 2/63, Harish Rauf 2/65
Pakistan: 5/291 over 48.3, Fakhar Zaman 117, Imam-ul-Haq 60, Babar Azam 49, Mohd. Rizwan 42 not out, Adam Milne 2/60