Babar built an innings of brilliance while Afridi struggled, eventually leading Pakistan to victory and securing the series.
In the final match of the five-match Twenty20 series, both teams faced off. This match was crucial for Pakistan to salvage the series and for New Zealand to clinch it. However, the day ended with disappointment for both sides, as the series ended in a 2-2 draw.
Losing the toss, Pakistan batted first and posted 178 runs, losing 5 wickets in 20 overs. Babar Azam played a crucial role by scoring a fifty. Then, New Zealand was restricted to 169 runs in 19.2 overs, thanks to Shahid Afridi’s remarkable bowling performance, taking 4 wickets single-handedly.
Pakistan started their batting innings with a hiccup but Babar Azam held firm, scoring a splendid 69 runs off 44 balls. He formed a partnership of 73 runs with Usman Khan. Usman also contributed with 31 runs off 24 balls.
Afterward, Babar partnered with Fakhar Zaman, adding 42 runs to the third wicket partnership. However, their partnership was broken by Ben Sears, with Babar departing after scoring 43 runs. Fakhar Zaman was out for 43 runs off 33 balls.
Although Pakistan could manage to score 178 runs, thanks to Shadab Khan’s unbeaten 15 runs off 6 balls, New Zealand faltered in their chase, losing wickets at regular intervals. Despite a valiant effort from Tim Seifert and captain Michael Bracewell, New Zealand fell short. Seifert scored 52 runs off 33 balls, while Bracewell scored 23 runs off 21 balls.
Shahid Afridi turned the tide in the match with his spell, taking 4 wickets for 30 runs. He also became the leading wicket-taker in the series with 8 wickets in total.
