New Zealand vs Pakistan 3rd T20I: Finn Allen record knock secures series win for New Zealand

New Zealand secured theT20I series win over Pakistan with two games to spare thanks to the record 137 off 62 balls by opener Finn Allen at University Oval in Dunedin today. 

Match Summary

New Zealand vs Pakistan, 3rd T20I, Pakistan tour of New Zealand

New Zealand 224/7 (20 ov)

Pakistan 179/7 (20 ov)

Result - New Zealand won by 45 runs

SCORECARD

New Zealand's bowlers back Finn Allen's work with the bat to take an unassailable 3-0 #NZvPAK T20I series lead ??

Scorecard: https://t.co/XUheCbAUFu pic.twitter.com/v4SxuDAHcb

— ICC (@ICC) January 17, 2024

Match Analysis

Pakistan won the toss and sent New Zealand in to bat in game three of the five-match series.

The hosts won by 45 runs after posting a huge total of  224/7 and then restricted Pakistan to 179/7 in the run chase..

It followed their victories by 46 and 21 runs respectively in the first two matches. 

Finn Allen, following on from his 74 off 21 balls in game two, frequently belted the ball out of the ground as he smashed 16 sixes and five fours in his whirlwind innings.

The opener's 137 is the highest score by a New Zealand batter in a Men's T20I, surpassing the previous best of 123 set by Brendon McCullum, and it equalled the world record of 16 sixes in an innings held by Afghanistan's Hazratullah Zazai. 

He dominated the bowling, taking 27 off one over by Haris Rauf with three sixes, two fours and a single. 

Rauf conceded 60 off his four overs while Mohammad Nawaz gave up 44 and Shaheen Afridi 43 on a dismal day with the ball for Pakistan.

After the early dismissal of Devon Conway for seven, Allen and Tim Seifert put on 125 for the second wicket, with Seifert only contributing 31 as he opted for singles to keep the hard-hitting opener on strike. 

The umpires had to call for replacement balls three times, after Allen smacked missiles out of the ground. 

The opener was eventually undone in the 18th over when he was bowled by an off-cutter from Zaman Khan, who then applauded the New Zealand batsman as he left the field. 

In reply, Pakistan never looked like getting close to the required 11.25 run rate. 

They reached 95 for two in the 11th over, but saw a clutch of wickets derail their chase, losing four for just 39 runs.

Babar Azam top-scored with 58 off 37 deliveries while Mohammad Nawaz contributed 28 off 15 in a late cameo. 

The remaining two matches are in Christchurch on Friday and Sunday.

Match Stats

New Zealand Fall of wickets: 1-28 (Devon Conway - 3.2 ov), 2-153 (Tim Seifert - 13.3 ov), 3-174 (Daryl Mitchell - 14.5 ov), 4-203 (Finn Allen - 17.2 ov), 5-214 (Mark Chapman - 18.4 ov), 6-219 (Mitchell Santner - 19.1 ov), 7-221 (Glenn Phillips - 19.4 ov)

Pakistan Fall of wickets: 1-23 (Saim Ayub - 3.1 ov), 2-62 (Mohammad Rizwan - 7.5 ov), 3-95 (Fakhar Zaman - 10.5 ov), 4-115 (Azam Khan - 12.6 ov), 5-121 (Iftikhar Ahmed - 14.1 ov), 6-134 (Babar Azam - 15.5 ov), 7-174 (Mohammad Nawaz - 19.1 ov)

Playing XIs

New Zealand: 

• Finn Allen
• Devon Conway
• Tim Seifert(WK)
• Daryl Mitchell
• Glenn Phillips
• Mark Chapman
• Mitchell Santner(C)
• Ish Sodhi
• Tim Southee
• Matt Henry
• Lockie Ferguson

Pakistan: 

• Mohammad Rizwan
• Saim Ayub
• Babar Azam
• Fakhar Zaman
• Iftikhar Ahmed
• Azam Khan(WK)
• Mohammad Nawaz
• Shaheen Afridi(C)
• Mohammad Wasim
• Haris Rauf
• Zaman Khan

 

Match Details:

Date: Wednesday, January 17, 2024 00:00

Venue: University Oval, Dunedin

Toss: Pakistan elected to bowl