ODI World Cup 2023: Pakistan vs New Zealand, 35th ODI - Who Said What?

The M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru hosted an intense ODI World Cup clash between Pakistan and New Zealand. After winning the toss, Pakistan opted to field first, hoping to capitalise on the prevailing conditions. New Zealand, batting first, piled on a formidable total of 401/6, courtesy of an outstanding partnership between Rachin Ravindra (108) and Kane Williamson (95). Despite falling short of a century, Williamson's return to the side after injury proved crucial, while Ravindra secured his third ODI century of the tournament. Mark Chapman, Glenn Phillips, and Mitchel Santner's brisk contributions towards the end propelled the Kiwis past the daunting 400-run mark, with Mohammad Wasim Junior standing out for Pakistan with his three-wicket haul.

Fakhar Zaman announces his comeback in style

In pursuit of 402, Pakistan faced an early setback with the dismissal of Abdullah Shafique. However, Fakhar Zaman's remarkable century off just 63 balls left the Kiwis stunned. Zaman's aggressive approach, complemented by Babar Azam's steady innings, laid the foundation for an exhilarating chase. During the 22nd over, the game was temporarily halted due to rain. Following the interruption, the match resumed with a revised target of 342 in 41 overs according to the DLS method, with Pakistan maintaining a ten-run lead over the DLS par score, placing them in a favourable position.

Nevertheless, rain intervened once more during the 26th over, with Pakistan positioned at 200/1. Unfortunately, the inclement weather prevented the resumption of play, leading to Pakistan's victory by 21 runs via the DLS method.

Losing skipper Kane Williamson said: 

Obviously a nice first half. Weather played its part but can't take away from Pakistan. Zaman - the ground wasn't big enough for him. They played exceptionally well and gave themselves every chance. Match getting shortened brings both teams closer together. Would've been nice to have the full 50. Was tricky to protect the shorter side. Full credit, they deserved the result today. I thought the contributions throughout were great. Clearly a very good surface. Can be tough on the bowlers sometimes. Rachin is batting absolutely beautifully. There's always small margins with the ball. If you get a wicket or two, you can take the short side out of it with the left-right combo. But we couldn't do that.

Winning captain Babar Azam said: 

When we came to the dressing room, just passed message we need good partnerships. Said to Fakhar if he plays 15 overs we'll be ahead. Back of the mind we knew rain was coming. Full credit to Fakhar. We knew there was a short boundary and utilised it. We're just trying to give 100 percent. You never know. We're just going match by match.

POTM Fakhar Zaman said: 

We were chasing 400 and that was our plan, just to see off the first 4 overs and thankfully it was my day. To be honest, I was lucky a few times but really enjoyed this innings. We know every game is a do or die for us and we have decided to play aggressively and we are playing with that mind so everybody is just trying to score runs. This is one of the best (knocks in ODI cricket) but I will always rank my 193 in South Africa highly, but I really enjoyed this game and New Zealand are a great side, so definitely one of the best. We were also praying that we don't want any more game to happen (while waiting anxiously in the dressing room during the rain break) because it was already 9 and half hours and we knew that DLS would come into the equation. We wanted to play with that aggressive mindset and we will play aggressively in the next game also.