NZ vs PAK, 2020: 3rd T20I – Pakistan's big chase, Rizwan's record knock, Hafeez's dream year with bat and more stats

Pakistan avoided a whitewash in the T20I series against New Zealand as they clinched a consolation win on Tuesday. Devon Conway’s 45-ball 63 got the Kiwis to finish with 173/7 in 20 overs despite losing wickets regularly. Mohammad Rizwan paced his innings pretty well to finish with a 59-ball 89 which included 13 boundaries. Rizwan scored 54 runs from his last 29 balls after being 35 off 30 around the half-way stage.  Pakistan got to the target with four wickets and two balls to spare despite losing quick wickets during the death overs.

Here are all the statistical highlights from Pakistan’s 4-wicket victory in the 3rd T20I hosted by Napier:

A big chase for Pakistan:

174 – The 174-run chase by Pakistan is their biggest successful chase in the T20I format where they elected to bowl first. Their previous highest T20I chase after choosing to bowl was 165 against Australia during the 2007 WT20.

It is also their 4th highest successful chase in the T20I format and the 2nd biggest outside Asia. Their highest successful T20I chase came in Harare where they chased 184 against Australia in the 2018 Zimbabwe T20I Tri-series final.

174 – Pakistan’s 174-run chase is also the joint 3rd biggest successful chase by any team against New Zealand. Australia in 2018 and India in 2020 chased down targets of 244 and 204 respectively at the Eden Park. South Africa also defeated the Kiwis while chasing 174 during the 2012 Hamilton T20I.

Rizwan’s record knock:

89 – Mohammad Rizwan’s 89-run knock is now the highest individual score by a wicketkeeper during a T20I chase. The previous highest was Tim Seifert’s unbeaten 84 during the 2nd T20I of this series which was played on Sunday.

3 – Only two wicketkeepers scored more runs in a Men’s T20I than Rizwan’s 89 while opening the innings – Mohammad Shahzad’s 118* (vs ZIM in 2016) and Morne Van Wyk’s 114* (vs WI in 2015).

89 – The 89 runs scored by Mohammad Rizwan in the 3rd T20I are the most by a Pakistan wicketkeeper in a T20I game. Sarfaraz Ahmed also scored an unbeaten 89 during the 2018 Edinburgh T20I against Scotland.

3 – Mohammad Rizwan’s 89 is also the 3rd highest individual score for Pakistan in the T20I format while chasing. Fakhar Zaman scored 91 during the 2018 Zimbabwe Tri-series Final against Australia while Babar Azam made 90 against South Africa during an unsuccessful chase in the 2019 Johannesburg T20I.

Hafeez levels with Malik:

2323 – Mohammad Hafeez, with 2323 runs, is now the leading run-getter in the T20I format for Pakistan equalling Shoaib Malik’s tally. Overall, Malik has scored 2335 runs in the T20I cricket which includes 12 runs in a T20I he played for the ICC World XI.

End to Hafeez’s dream year:

20 – Mohammad Hafeez struck as many as 20 sixes across 8 T20I innings in 2020; the most number of T20I sixes hit in a calendar year for Pakistan. Hafeez went past Fakhar Zaman’s tally of 19 sixes during 2018.

415 – Hafeez scored 415 runs in T20I cricket in 2020; the most runs by any player in the format at an average of 50+ and a strike rate of 150+ in a calendar year. Hafeez scored 415 runs across 8 T20I innings this year with four fifties at an average of 83 and a strike rate of 152.57.

Big year for Rauf:

57 – Haris Rauf ends 2020 with as many as 57 wickets in the Twenty20 format. Among Pakistan players, only Wahab Riaz (60 wickets in 2019) and Azhar Mahmood (60 wickets in 2013) have claimed more T20 wickets in a calendar year than Rauf.

The domination of pace:

34.3 – As many as 34.4 overs were bowled by the pace bowler during the 3rd T20I; the 2nd most in a Men’s T20I match since the start of 2009. The last year’s T20I match between Belize and Panama at Naucalpan witnessed 35 overs of pace bowling. New Zealand was forced to bowl three extra overs of pace in the absence of Ish Sodhi.

A good game for the substitute fielder:

3 – Daryl Mitchell claimed three catches during this match while coming on to the field as a substitute fielder. These are the joint-most number of catches by any substitute fielder in a T20I match. Michael Leask also took three catches for Scotland against Kenya in last year’s T20 Qualifier tournament.