Twitter Reactions: Runs galore in Rawalpindi as Fakhar Zaman steers Pakistan to their second-highest ODI run chase against New Zealand
Fakhar Zaman smashed his second century in a row.
A high-scoring affair in Rawalpindi saw Pakistan once again get the better of New Zealand as the Babar Azam-led side defeated the visiting team by seven wickets to take a 2-0 lead in the ODI series. Notably, batting first, the Tom Latham-led side suffered a blow in the powerplay when in-form opener Will Young was sent back to the pavilion by ace pacer Haris Rauf. However, Chad Bowes and Daryl Mitchell took control of the situation, and their partnership of 86 runs bailed the Kiwis out of trouble.
However, right after scoring a half-century, Bowes had to walk back to the dressing room as Rauf picked up his second wicket of the match. Meanwhile, Mitchell kept on going as he smashed two back-to-back centuries in the ongoing series. His terrific innings of 129 runs off 119 deliveries ended in the 46th over, but till then, his partnership of 183 runs with Latham set the stage for the Kiwis to post a massive total on the board.
Latham, meanwhile, missed a well-deserved century as Rauf picked up his wicket while the cricketer was batting on 98. James Neesham later tried to accelerate but failed to do so as the Black Caps posted 336 runs after 50 overs. Rauf, with four wickets to his name, was definitely Pakistan's hero with the ball.
When it came to the chase, Fakhar Zaman once again played some phenomenal cricket, scoring 180* runs off 144 deliveries. He was eventually 20 runs short of becoming the second cricketer in the history of ODI cricket to have multiple double-centuries in this format. However, his masterclass of an innings set the tone for the home side as Pakistan went on to win the match by seven wickets.
Skipper Babar Azam missed his half-century in the last match but ended up scoring one in the second ODI as the 28-year-old scored 65 runs off 66 deliveries. Stumper-batter Mohammad Rizwan, meanwhile, hit 54* runs off 41 deliveries as Pakistan chased the total down in 48.2 overs.
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