NZ vs PAK, 1st T20I: Best memes from NZ vs PAK game

New Zealand defeated Pakistan by 46 runs in the first T20I in Auckland on January 12. Batting first, the hosts made 226 runs as Kane Williamson played a captain’s knock at Eden Park. He hit 57 off 42 deliveries while Daryl Mitchell stole the show with an unbeaten 61 off just 27. Notably, opener Finn Allen gave the team a perfect start, as the 24-year-old scored 34 runs off 15 deliveries.

Courtesy of their notable performances, New Zealand posted a huge total which eventually proved too much for Pakistan. Their bowling and fielding units looked pale. Former captain Babar Azam dropped a sitter of Williamson when the latter was 16 off 19 deliveries. He went on to score a half-century which put pressure on the visitors.

Skipper Shaheen Shah Afridi and debutant Abbas Afridi picked up three wickets each while Haris Rauf picked two. Aamer Jamal and another debutant Usama Mir proved to be extremely expensive, as they leaked 56 and 51 runs in their four overs respectively.

When it came to the chase, Saim Ayub gave the team a dream start. The 21-year-old hit 27 runs off eight deliveries but got run out at the non-striker's end. His opening partner Mohammad Rizwan looked in good touch, as he scored 25 runs off 14 deliveries but the stumper-batter failed to get going for long.

Babar took control of the situation but his strike rate remained an issue. He made 57 off 35 before Ben Sears got the better of him. On the other hand, Fakhar Zaman failed to succeed in his new role. Batting at number four, the 33-year-old scored 15 off 10 while Iftikhar Ahmed scored 24. Azam Khan too struggled as Pakistan were bundled out for 180 runs.

In the absence of Lockie Ferguson and Trent Boult, Tim Southee got the job done, as the pacer picked four wickets while Adam Milne and Sears picked up two each as New Zealand took a 1-0 lead in the series.

Top memes of the match: