A maiden century by Mohd Hafeez and a blistering 65 by Shahid Afridi set up Pakistan for a 43-run win over New Zealand in their ODI on Saturday
A maiden century by Mohd Hafeez and a blistering 65 by Shahid Afridi set up Pakistan for a 43-run win over New Zealand in their ODI on Saturday.
The batting heroics, which rescued Pakistan from a disastrous start, were complemented by the fielding exploits of Umar Akmal who featured in three crucial New Zealand dismissals.
The result levelled the six-match series at 1-1, with one game washed out and three to play. Pakistan were put into bat on a green-tinged wicket and were two for eight by the fourth over.
But from there, Pakistan worked their way up to take control, compiling 293-7 in their 50 overs, with Afridi starring in a 126-run charge over the last 10 overs.
New Zealand made a bold reply and were ahead of Pakistan in the run rate until the final slog, but they lost wickets at regular intervals and were hanging on grimly at the end to be 250-9.
