Sports Desk
Auckland: Debutant Jacob Duffy’s impressive bowling and Tim Seifert’s resilient knock has led New Zealand down Pakistan in the first T20I of the three-match series at Eden Park.
The 26-year-old Duffy ripped Pakistan’s top-order while Seifert played a rescue knock while chasing 154.
Stand-in captain Shadab Khan took a brave decision as he elected to bat first after winning the toss but Green Shirts’ top-order couldn’t handle the bounce of Eden Park and they slipped to 39/5. Shadab partnered with ‘Birthday Boy’ Imad Wasim to rescue Pakistan’s innings and gathered a partnership of 40 runs. Imad was dismissed as he tried to clear the boundary down to the third man off Scott Kuggeleijn. He made 14-off 19.
Pakistan’s lower-order has always been in question, however, today Faheem Ashraf was on spot with his power-hitting. He and Shadab played crucial knocks, leading Pakistan to a respectable score of 153/9 in 20 overs. Shadab made 32-ball 42 which included three sixes and two fours while Faheem Ashraf made 31 in just 18 balls. Duffy took 4/33 in his four overs while Kuggeleijn claimed 3/27. Ish Sodhi and Blair Tickner took one each. The Black Caps were one down courtesy of a stunning catch by captain Shadab while Haris Rauf caught and bowl Devon Conway. The hosts were teetering at 21/2 in 3.3 overs until Seifert and Glenn Philips saved and put up a partnership of 44.
Shadab was spot on with his bowling changes as he used Haris as a strike bowler. He came to bowl his second over and broke the partnership, removing Philips (23) in the ninth over.
Seifert on the other hand cruised the chase alongside emerging Mark Chapman but he was undone by Shaheen Shah’s slower one in the 15th over. He made 43-ball 57, powered by half a dozen fours and a six.
Chapman was dropped in the 16th over by Faheem off Wahab Riaz and the Kiwis went on to score 16 runs.
Haris dismissed Chapman but it was too late as Jimmy Neesham and Mitchell Santner chased down the target in the penultimate over. Haris finished with figures of 3/29 while Shaheen claimed 2/27. Duffy was awarded player of the match for his intriguing spell.
