NZ vs PAK, 3rd ODI, Review: Trent Boult rattles clueless Pakistan
It was all one-way traffic once again as the visitors crumbled with the bat.
New Zealand annihilated Pakistan by 183 runs in the third ODI at University Oval in Dunedin and also sealed the series with 2 matches left. Trent Boult was the wrecker-in-chief for the visitors who rattled their batting line-up after which the Men in Green never recovered. The pitch was tough to bat as the hosts also struggled to accumulate runs but they were way better than their opponents. However, Pakistan’s problems have been magnified now after this performance and the home side is growing in confidence day by day.
Kane Williamson won the toss and opted to bat first in the morning as he fielded the same side that won the second One-Day International. The returning Colin de Grandhomme was benched given the strong performances from Todd Astle. Pakistan brought back Fakhar Zaman at the expense of Imam-ul-Haq.
The opener Colin Munro was snaffled early by Fahim Ashraf after which Martin Guptill and Kane Williamson huffed and puffed their way to a 69-run partnership. The former was caught short after the mix-up with his skipper in the 21st over which brought the most experienced Ross Taylor to the middle on a wearing wicket. Williamson never looked comfortable on the wicket but managed to scratch his way to 73 off 101 deliveries. Taylor was the most fluent batsman of all who smashed 52 off 64 balls.
Pakistan, stunningly, made a comeback in the final overs as the Kiwis lost their last seven wickets in just 48 runs. While Hasan Ali and Rumman Raees scalped three wickets each, Shadab Khan picked a couple. New Zealand were restricted to a decent total of 257 after 50 overs with a realistic chance for the visitors to reduce their lead.
Boult storm hits Pakistan
The visitors only needed to wither the new ball in windy conditions and then gun down the target to stage a partial comeback into the series. But what transpired thereafter was carnage which nobody saw coming. Trent Boult created an absolute panic in the opposition camp with some breath-taking swing bowling. He first bowled an unplayable delivery to send back Azhar Ali in his first over. Then he snaffled Fakhar Zaman and Mohammad Hafeez in the same over to leave them reeling at 2/3 in the third over itself.
The procession continued as Babar Azam was run-out after a horror mix-up with Shoaib Malik and soon the scorecard read 16/6 in the 15th over. The record of the lowest ever score in ODIs was in danger with the way the hapless batsmen were following each other. But the lower order saved them the blushes with some lusty blows which only entertained the crowd. The skipper Sarfraz Ahmed held the one end but to no avail as it was too late for them to even think of a fightback let alone the victory.
Amazingly, it was Raees, the number 11 batsman who topped the run-scoring for his team as Pakistan were bundled out for a paltry score of 74 in 28th over. Fittingly, Boult ended the proceedings by castling the ambitious Raees and sealed the deal for New Zealand by a whopping 183 runs. While he finished with the sensational figures of 5/17, he was nicely assisted by Munro (2/10) and Lockie Ferguson (2/28).
The visitors have a lot to ponder after being embarrassed once again by the rampant Kiwis who will now go for the whitewash.
Brief Scores
New Zealand 257 after 50 overs (K Williamson 73, R Taylor 52; R Raees 3/51, H Ali 3/59)
Pakistan 74 after 27.1 overs (R Raees 16; T Boult 5/17)
Result: New Zealand won by 183 runs
Man of the Match: Trent Boult
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