Twitter Reactions: All round New Zealand hammer Pakistan by 46 runs in Auckland

New Zealand beat Pakistan by 46 runs in the first T20I of the three-match series on Friday, January 12 at Eden Park, Auckland. After being put in to bat first, the Kiwis posted a massive score of 226/8 in their allotted 20 overs riding on half-centuries from captain Kane Williamson (57 off 42) and Daryl Mitchell (61 off 27). In reply, Pakistan were bundled out for 180 with Babar Azam being the lone warrior with his valiant half-century (57 off 35).

Pakistan got off to a brisk start as opener Saim Ayyub came out all guns blazing scoring 27 (8). However, his innings was cut short by an unfortunate run out. Babar walked in at number three and held one end taking the game forward. At the other end, Mohammad Rizwan (25 off 14), Iftikhar Ahmed (24 off 17) and Fakhar Zaman (15 off 10) all got starts but failed to convert them.

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Meanwhile, Babar completed his fifty off 33 balls but got dismissed at a crucial juncture and Tim Southee (4/25) ran through the tail. As a result, Pakistan got all out for 180 in 18 overs handing New Zealand a 46-run win.

Earlier in the day, after being put in to bat first, New Zealand lost their opener Devon Conway on the second ball of the innings. However, his opening partner Finn Allen (34 off 15) continued to attack and helped the team reach 50 in 29 balls before losing his wicket against Abbas Afridi.

Daryl Mitchell scored a quick-fire fifty in the first innings

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Captain Williamson walked in at number three and scored a brilliant fifty (57 off 42) with the help of nine fours while Daryl Mitchell also played a quick-fire knock of 61 off 27 balls. Crucial cameos from Glenn Phillips (19 off 11) and Mark Chapman (26 off 11) helped New Zealand finish on 226/8 in their allotted 20 overs. Debutant Abbas Afridi was the pick of the bowlers for Pakistan who scalped (3/34) while captain Shaheen Afridi (3/46) also picked three wickets.

Meanwhile, X was abuzz with reactions on New Zealand’s win. Here are some of the posts: