Watch: Black Caps romp to T20I series win with 115-run victory over Pakistan at Bay Oval
Sunday, 23 March 2025
T20I, Bay Oval: New Zealand 220-6 (Finn Allen 50 from 22 balls, Michael Bracewell 46 not out from 26, Tim Seifert 44 from 22; Haris Rauf 3-27 from 4 overs) beat Pakistan 105 all out in 16.2 overs (Abdul Samad 44 no from 28 balls; Jacob Duffy 4-20 from 4 overs, Zak Foulkes 3-25 from 4) by 115 runs. Click here for full scoreboard.
Even Tim Seifert must have wondered how he survived the opening over at Bay Oval on Sunday night.
But he didn’t spend a minute pondering his good fortune, as the Black Caps opener’s racing start powered them to a series-clinching victory against Pakistan in Mt Maunganui.
Chasing New Zealand’s imposing 220-6, the visitors imploded early and were rolled for 105 in 16.2 overs, giving the hosts a 3-1 lead in the five-game T20I series.
Seifert (44) was beaten three times by Shaheen Shah Afridi after Pakistan won the toss and bowled in game four.
Remarkably, he also collected two boundaries from it, and added one more four and four sixes in the next 16 balls he faced before falling to a sensational outfield catch by Khushdil Shah.
His batting partner Finn Allen had faced just three balls when Seifert fell, and only six in the Power Play overs, as NZ raced to 79-1.
But that didn’t hamper his progress once he got some strike, crashing three sixes and six fours from 20 balls, only to fall to the first ball following the drinks break after bringing up his half-century.
However, when the hosts found themselves five down in the 14th over, there were worries about a repeat of their game three loss at Eden Park on Friday, when a lack of batting firepower late in their innings notably restricted their score.
Michael Bracewell’s lbw DRS reprieve when on one proved pivotal, as he and Daryl Mitchell (29) helped NZ reach 220-6. The skipper ended unbeaten on 46, with his highlight being a hooked six off Shaheen which looked for a split-second it wouldn’t land until it reached Bethlehem.
Black Caps quicks Will O’Rourke and Jacob Duffy rapidly put their side into a position of dominance by ripping through the tourists’ top-order, after their leading three batters had all excelled in the win at Eden Park.
Without the injured Matt Henry, and seamer Kyle Jamieson withdrawn from the squad from the last two games of the series, the duo responded to the challenge by reducing Pakistan to 9-3 after two overs.
Zak Foulkes backed them up by taking three wickets for the second time in 10 T20I appearances, while Duffy continued a lengthy season in which he’s impressed throughout despite never being a first-choice Black Caps selection, ending with 4-20 from his four overs.
The final match of the series will again be part of a T20I double-header with the White Ferns - 2-0 down in their three-game series against Australia - in Wellington on Wednesday.