New Zealand Defeats Pakistan by 73 Runs in the First ODI, Riding on T20 Momentum

New Zealand has carried the momentum from their T20 series victory into the opening match of the ODI series, defeating Pakistan by 73 runs in the first ODI at McLean Park in Napier.

New Zealand's batting started poorly as they lost 3 wickets for just 50 runs on the scoreboard. Pakistan's debutant, Akif Javed, took 2 wickets. Will Young (1), Nick Kelly (15), and Henry Nicholls (11) were dismissed early.

However, the middle-order pair of Mark Chapman (coming in at number 4) and Daryl Mitchell (coming in at number 5) put together a partnership of 199 runs. Mitchell scored 76 runs off 84 balls, hitting 4 fours and 4 sixes before being dismissed, while Chapman played a dominant 132-run innings off 111 balls, including 13 fours and 6 sixes to score a century.

Muhammad Abbas, who was making his debut, also made a significant contribution, scoring 52 runs off 26 balls with a strike rate of 200. His innings included 3 fours and 3 sixes.

New Zealand finished their innings with 344 runs, losing 9 wickets in 50 overs. For Pakistan, Irfan Khan took 3 wickets, while Harris Rauf and Akif Javed each took 2 wickets. Naseem Shah and Mohammad Ali took 1 wicket each.

In reply, Pakistan started well, with the opening partnership lasting 12.4 overs and adding 83 runs. However, both openers, Abdullah Shafique (36) and Usman Khan (39), got out close to each other.

Captain Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam handled the pressure, putting on 76 runs for the third wicket. Rizwan was dismissed for 30, but Babar continued and reached a half-century, showing resilience.

Babar then formed an 85-run partnership with Salman Ali Agha for the fourth wicket. At this stage, Pakistan seemed to be on track for a victory. However, when Babar was dismissed for 78, the innings fell apart, and Pakistan's chase came to an end.

From 3 wickets down for 249, Pakistan was bowled out for 271. Salman Ali Agha contributed 58 runs off 48 balls. For New Zealand, Nathan Smith took 4 wickets, while Jacob Duffy claimed 2. Will O'Rorke, Michael Bracewell, and Muhammad Abbas took 1 wicket each.

Mark Chapman, with his impressive century, was named Player of the Match. The second ODI of the 3-match series will be held on April 2 in Hamilton.