Napier, March 29 Mark Chapman continued his dominance over Pakistan with a stunning career-best 132 off 111 balls, propelling New Zealand to a 73-run victory in the first ODI at McLean Park. The left-hander's masterful knock, combined with Daryl Mitchell’s gritty 76 and a record-breaking debut fifty from Muhammad Abbas, saw the hosts post an imposing 344.
Pakistan, for much of their chase, seemed well on course to overhaul the target. Babar Azam’s fluent 78 and Agha Salman’s explosive fifty put them in pole position, but a dramatic collapse saw them lose seven wickets for just 22 runs, tumbling from 249 for 3 to 271 all out.
The early signs had been promising for Pakistan when Captain Mohammad Rizwan won the toss and opted to field. Naseem Shah and Akif Javed made full use of a lively pitch, reducing New Zealand to 64 for 3. Will Young nicked off early, debutant Nick Kelly struggled before falling to Akif, and Henry Nicholls endured a torrid time before mistiming a hook. But Pakistan’s four-bowler strategy backfired as Chapman and Mitchell forged a match-defining 199-run stand, capitalizing on part-time spin from Salman Agha.
Chapman was at his imperious best, dismantling Pakistan’s bowling with elegant stroke play. Once he had set the foundation, debutant Abbas provided the perfect finishing touch, smashing the fastest ODI fifty by a debutant off just 24 balls. His breathtaking assault on Shaheen Afridi at the death powered New Zealand to a daunting total.
Pakistan’s reply was initially scratchy, with Usman Khan and Abdullah Shafique struggling. However, they stabilized through Babar and Rizwan’s 76-run stand before Abbas dismissed Rizwan. Agha then joined Babar, and their partnership appeared to have sealed the deal for Pakistan.
The pair plundered runs at will, bringing the asking rate down to a manageable eight per over. Babar’s majestic pull shot off Nathan Smith for six was a statement of intent, but just as Pakistan eyed victory, disaster struck.
Babar, looking set for a century, mistimed a pull off Will O’Rourke, with Mitchell taking a stunning catch inches from the boundary rope. From that moment, Pakistan unraveled. A clumsy run-out, a golden duck for Irfan Niazi, and a procession of tail-enders followed, as Smith and Jacob Duffy ran riot. Agha, who had fought valiantly, finally holed out, leaving the last pair in the middle. When Akif Javed’s final desperate heave found O’Rourke, Pakistan’s hopes were extinguished.
For most of the chase, Pakistan had been ahead of the game, seemingly cruising towards victory. But in the blink of an eye, they had crashed spectacularly, leaving New Zealand jubilant and Pakistan shell-shocked.
Brief scores: New Zealand 344/9 in 50 overs (Mark Chapman 132, Daryl Mitchell 76; Irfan Khan 3/51, Haris Rauf 2-38) beat Pakistan 271 all out in 44.1 overs (Babar Azam 78, Salman Agha 58; Nathan Smith 4-60, Jacob Duffy 2-57) by 73 runs.
--IANS
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