T20 World Cup 2021, PAK vs NZ (Super 12): Pakistan edges closer to semis with a 5-wicket win over Kiwis

Former champion Pakistan is on a roll, as it has come up with another top performance to outplay New Zealand by five wickets in Group 2's Super 12 tie of the 2021 ICC T20 World Cup at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Tuesday. Pakistan has notched up two wins with this win and tops the group table, edging closer to a semi-final spot.

LIVE SCORECARD: ICC T20 World Cup 2021 - Pakistan vs New Zealand (Super 12)

Winning the toss, Pakistan skipper Babar Azam elected to bat first, moving in with the same XI that defeated arch-rival India on Sunday. New Zealand lost Martin Guptill (17) to pacer Haris Rauf in the sixth over of the Powerplay. 18 runs later, fellow opener Daryl Mitchell (27) departed to spinner Imad Wasim in the ninth, followed by James Neesham (1), a couple of runs later, to spinner Mohammad Hafeez in the tenth.

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A 34-run partnership ensued between Williamson (25) and Devon Conway (27) before the latter was dismissed off an unfortunate run out in the 14th, at 90, while 26 runs later, Rauf got rid of Conway and Glenn Phillips (13) in the 18th. Tim Seifert (8) and Mitchell Santner (6) were the final men to be dismissed, with the Kiwis finishing at a below-par total of 134/8.

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Pakistan put in six bowlers, with Rauf claiming four, while pacer Shaheen Afridi was the most economical of all. Pakistan lost Azam (9) in the sixth over of the PP to pacer Tim Southee, with 28 runs on the board, followed by Fakhar Zaman (11), nine runs later, to leg-spinner Ish Sodhi in the ninth.

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At 63, Mohammad Hafeez (11) fell prey to spinner Santner in the 11th, followed by opener Mohammad Rizwan (33), six runs later, as he was trapped leg-before by Sodhi in the subsequent over. Imad Wasim (11), too, could not contribute significantly, being trapped leg-before to pacer Trent Boult in the 15th, at 87.

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However, Pakistan kept the scoreboard ticking, while Shoaib Malik (26*) and Asif Ali (27*) steered Pakistan home, winning by five wickets, with eight balls to spare. The Kiwis utilised five bowlers, with Sodhi claiming a couple, while pacer Neesham was the most economical from the side.
Brief scores: New Zealand 134/8 (Mitchell- 27; Rauf- 4/22) beat Pakistan 135/5 in 18.4 overs (Rizwan- 33; Sodhi- 2/28) by five wickets.

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