Pakistan opted to bowl first after winning the toss. The hosts then restricted the visitors to a total of 178/7.

However, New Zealand’s performance propelled them to a competitive total including opener Tim Robinson’s 51 and Tom Blundell’s 28 and Michael Bracewell’s 27 runs.

On the other side, Pakistan’s captain Babar Azam departed early. He scored just 5 runs. Young batters Saim Ayub scored 20 runs and Usman Khan 16.

Despite Fakhar Zaman’s resilient knock of 61 off 45 balls for Pakistan, crucial wickets at key moments dented their pursuit. Despite late resistance from all-rounder Imad Wasim (22*), Pakistan fell agonizingly short of the target, finishing at 174/8.

For New Zealand, William O’Rourke emerged as the pick of the bowlers  as he claimed three vital wickets for 27 runs while Ben Sears took two wickets for the same 27 runs.

New Zealand’s openers Robinson and Blundell laid a solid foundation. However, Pakistan’s Abbas Afridi and Usama Mir made crucial breakthroughs.

Despite the late surge from Bracewell, Pakistan’s pacer Abbas Afridi proved to be a thorn in the other side as he finished as Pakistan’s best bowler with 3/20 figures.