Result: BLACKCAPS won by three wicket (via Duckworth Lewis Method)
The BLACKCAPS were made to work hard for it, but a boundary from Mitchell Santner with two balls remaining has seen the BLACKCAPS to a three wicket victory (via DW Lewis) against Pakistan at Eden Park.
Scorecard
It gives the BLACKCAPS a 2-0 ANZ Series victory over Pakistan, with the match their final fixture of the tour.
Originally set 291 for victory, rain intervened to set the BLACKCAPS a target of 53 from 45 balls with five wickets in hand. While far from a walk in the park, the home side would prevail in the final over.
After returning skipper Brendon McCullum was caught in the deep early on, the two form batsmen of the summer in Martin Guptill (82) and Kane Williamson (84) formed another partnership of significance for the BLACKCAPS.
At 150-1 the BLACKCAPS were in cruise control, but when both established batsmen fell in quick succession, the hosts still had plenty of work to do.
Pakistan applied pressure with the occasional wicket, before the weather caved in with the BLACKCAPS 210-5 in the 36th over.
The revised target after they returned may have slightly favoured the BLACKCAPS, but it still took crucial cameos from Corey Anderson (33) and Luke Ronchi (20) to get them across the line.
With six need off the final over, Santner struck a four off the first ball. After a couple of swings and misses, the allrounder finished the game with another boundary, securing the series.
Earlier, the BLACKCAPS had fought hard with the ball to keep Pakistan under 300, who at the halfway mark had looked enroute to a mammoth total.
Early wickets to Matt Henry and Trent Boult reduced Pakistan to 20-2, but through the pairing of Mohammad Hafeez and Babar Azam, the momentum would swing in the visitors’ favour.
The duo put on 134 for the third wicket and after 22 overs Pakistan were sitting pretty at 150-2. Hafeez departed for 76, but Babar continued to propel Pakistan into a powerful position.
However they would not take advantage of that position, with the BLACKCAPS ripping through the lower order to bowl out Pakistan after 47.3 overs.
The visitors lost their last seven wicket for 75 runs, with Adam Milen the chief destroyer with three wickets.
It concludes a pleasing series for the BLACKCAPS against a strong Pakistan team. Next up – Australia in the Chappell Hadlee.
