Watch cricket video highlights of Pakistan tour of New Zealand 2025. Third Twenty/20 between New Zealand and Pakistan. Venue of the match will be Auckland.
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Pakistan’s bold, high-stakes strategies finally paid off after two unsuccessful tries, as the team, under Salman Agha’s leadership, achieved a remarkable nine-wicket victory over New Zealand in a thrilling contest that saw a total of 411 runs scored at Eden Park. Hasan Nawaz’s first T20I century outshone Mark Chapman’s 94 as Pakistan successfully chased down 205 runs in just 16 overs, keeping the five-match series competitive at 1-2.
In the post-Mohammed Rizwan and Babar Azam era, Pakistan placed their trust in new openers Nawaz and Mohammed Haris, who justified that faith by forging a rapid 74-run opening partnership off merely 35 balls, setting the stage for a perfect chase. Salman took advantage of the explosive start, scoring 51 not out, and was part of an unbroken 133-run stand for the second wicket. Nawaz, who had experienced two consecutive ducks prior, achieved the fastest century by a Pakistan player in T20Is, reaching the milestone in just 44 balls during a remarkable chase.
Chapman’s explosive innings of 94 off just 44 balls positioned New Zealand for what appeared to be a challenging total at the end of their innings. After Shaheen Shah Afridi dismissed Finn Allen for a duck in the opening over, Tim Seifert (19 off nine) and Chapman led New Zealand past their early worries. Seifert was dismissed by Haris Rauf in the fifth over, but Chapman maintained his aggressive momentum.
He dispatched the short balls with powerful pulls and hooks, executed exquisite cover drives against pace bowlers, and capitalized on missteps from Abrar Ahmed and Shadab Khan. He achieved his fourth half-century against Pakistan off just 29 balls, marking his first T20I fifty in nearly a year. Pakistan finally broke through in the tenth over when Daryl Mitchell (17 off 11) chased a wide delivery from Shadab and skied it to Rauf.
Despite this setback, Chapman continued to find the boundary, even when Pakistan’s captain Agha came on to bowl and conceded 13 runs in his only over. With an impressive bottom-hand technique and remarkable placement, Chapman struck 11 fours and four sixes. However, he was ultimately fooled by a slower ball from Afridi in the 13th over. Pakistan clawed back with quick wickets, including two double-wicket overs from Rauf and Abrar, but Michael Bracewell’s 31 off 18 helped New Zealand surpass the 200-run mark.
After two unsatisfactory performances, Haris and Nawaz provided the visitors with an ideal start. Haris launched two sixes off Kyle Jamieson’s first over and followed it up with two fours against Jacob Duffy. Nawaz initially struggled with his timing but managed to score boundaries through fortunate edges. Pakistan achieved their joint-fastest team fifty in men’s T20Is in four overs.
Duffy dismissed Haris for a quickfire 41 off 20 balls with a bouncer in the sixth over, leaving Pakistan at 75 for 1 at the end of the powerplay, their highest total in this phase in men’s T20Is, surpassing the 73 they accumulated against England in 2016. Though he faced difficulties early on and wasn’t particularly effective against short balls, Nawaz ensured he stayed at the crease. As the innings advanced, he began to see the ball more clearly.
While he initially played a supporting role to Haris, Nawaz took control after the powerplay. His first confident strike came against Ish Sodhi in the seventh over, when he connected with a looping googly and sent it soaring over long-on for a six. He recorded his maiden T20I fifty off 26 balls in the ninth over, propelling Pakistan to 124 for 1 at the midpoint of the innings. Nawaz was let off on 68 by Sodhi from Ben Sears’ delivery, but New Zealand struggled to make an impact on a pitch favorable for batting, with dew complicating matters for the bowlers.
Nawaz ultimately struck ten fours and seven sixes during his 45-ball innings. In contrast to Nawaz, Agha exhibited precision and intelligence in his batting, collecting six fours and two sixes. The pair accumulated 65 runs in the final four overs of the chase, steering the team to victory ahead of schedule. Nawaz reached his century off the second-to-last ball, before Pakistan accomplished the quickest 200-plus chase in men’s T20I history.
