Pakistan Faces Crushing Defeat in T20 Series Opener Against New Zealand

Pakistan's struggles from the Champions Trophy continued into their New Zealand tour, as they were comprehensively defeated in the first T20 match in Christchurch. The Pakistani batting lineup crumbled in the face of a fierce pace attack from Kyle Jamieson and Jacob Duffy, being bowled out for just 91 runs. New Zealand comfortably chased down the target, winning by 9 wickets with 59 balls to spare.

This defeat saw Pakistan set a new record for their lowest total in T20 internationals, marking the fifth-lowest score in their T20I history. With only 92 runs needed to win, New Zealand lost just one wicket during the chase, achieving victory in just 10.1 overs.

In their pursuit, New Zealand's openers played cautiously at the start but quickly became aggressive. Tim Seifert, in particular, attacked Shaheen Shah Afridi’s bowling. Afridi gave away just 1 run in his first over but conceded 16 runs in his second over to Seifert. Seifert, however, was dismissed in the powerplay, falling to Abrar Ahmed’s spin after scoring 44 runs off 29 balls, including 7 fours and 1 six.

Finn Allen then joined Tim Robinson, and the two guided New Zealand to a comfortable victory, with Allen remaining unbeaten on 29 and Robinson contributing 18 runs off 15 balls. With 9.5 overs still remaining, New Zealand sealed the win by 9 wickets.

Pakistan, after losing the toss, was asked to bat first at Hagley Oval. They found themselves in deep trouble early on, losing 3 wickets in the first 3 overs. None of the opening batsmen could get off the mark. Mohammad Haris was dismissed by Kyle Jamieson in the first over, and in the following over, Jacob Duffy sent debutant Hasan Nawaz back to the pavilion for a duck.

Although Salman Agha and Khushdil Shah briefly revived the innings, they too fell soon after. Only 3 Pakistani batters managed to reach double figures. Khushdil Shah was the top scorer with 32 runs. Captain Salman Agha, batting at number 3, made 18 runs off 20 balls before being dismissed. Jahanzaib Khan added 17 runs at the end, but Pakistan was bowled out for just 91 runs before completing their allotted overs.

In another disappointing performance for Pakistan, Jacob Duffy played a key role in dismantling their batting lineup, taking 4 wickets. Kyle Jamieson also shone with the ball, claiming 3 wickets for just 8 runs in his 4 overs.

This crushing defeat in the first international match of the tour further highlights Pakistan's ongoing issues with consistency, both in batting and bowling.