New Zealand and Pakistan kicked off their white-ball series by taking on each other in the first of five T20Is. Both sides locked horns in the first game at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Sunday, March 16. The clash saw Pakistan coming in to bat first after losing the toss.
Coming in to bat, the Men in Green got off to a horrid start after openers Mohammad Haris and Hasan Nawaz departed for a duck. Furthermore, skipper Salman Agha departed after adding 18 runs on the board. Pakistan's subpar run in the first innings continued with Irfan Khan and Shadab Khan departing after scoring one run each.
Khushdil Shah added 32 runs on the board and was the highest run-getter in the first innings of the game. In the first innings of the game, Pakistan were bundled out on a score of 91 runs after New Zealand put in an exceptional performance with the ball.
Jacob Duffy was the highest wicket-taker in the first innings of the game with four wickets to his name. Kyle Jamieson took three wickets as well, with Ish Sodhi taking two wickets, alongside Zakary Foulkes, who took one wicket as well.
Aiming to chase down the meagre target, New Zealand opened their innings with Tim Seifert and Finn Allen coming out to bat. Seifert put in a good performance, scoring 44 runs in 29 deliveries. After the fall of the first wicket, Allen and Tim Robinson propelled the Black Caps to an emphatic victory.
Alenn amassed 29* runs in 17 deliveries, with Robinson scoring 18* runs. New Zealand chased down the target in 10.1 overs, winning the game by nine wickets. Putting in a brilliant showing, New Zealand have gotten off to an excellent start to the first T20I of the series. Both sides will now lock horns in the second T20I at the University Oval, Dunedin, on March 18.