‘Fakhar ki century ne Bumrah ki no ball yaad dila di’ – Fans react after Pakistan defeat New Zealand in first ODI

After the T20I series ended in 2-2, the hosts Pakistan took a 1-0 lead in the five-match ODI series by winning the first match against New Zealand by 5 wickets at the Pindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi. After winning the toss, Pakistani skipper Babar Azam asked the Kiwis to bat first. New Zealand posted a total of 288 runs for the loss of 7 wickets, powered by the century from Daryl Mitchell. In reply, Fakhar Zaman’s hundred helped Pakistan to chase the winning total in 48.3 overs losing 5 wickets.

New Zealand lost their first wicket at the score of 48 runs in 9.4 overs as Chad Bowes ended up giving a catch to Mohammad Rizwan on the delivery of Haris Rauf. After that, Will Young and Mitchell put up a partnership of 102 runs for the second wicket. Young got out in the 27th over after scoring 86 runs off 78 balls with eight fours and two sixes.

After Young’s dismissal, Mitchell added another 72 runs with the skipper Tom Latham (20 off 36). After that, the 31-year-old went on to score his second ODI ton as he got out after a well-made 113 off 115 balls hitting 11 fours and a maximum. His innings helped the Kiwis to go past 280 and set a challenging total for the hosts. For Pakistan, Shahin Afridi, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf took 2 wickets each, while Shadab Khan put 1 in his bag.

A solid opening stand laid foundation for Pakistan’s victory

Chasing the winning total, Pakistan got a great start by their openers Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq as they both added 124 runs for the first wicket in 21.2 overs. Imam got out after scoring 60 off 65 balls with five fours and a maximum. After that, Zaman and Babar Azam put up a partnership of 90 runs for the second wicket which made things easier for the hosts. Babar fell short of just one from his half-century as he got out after scoring 49 runs off 46 balls hitting three fours and one six.

After that, Zaman went on to score his ninth ODI century. The 33-year-old got out after scoring 117 runs off 114 balls hitting 13 fours and a maximum. In the end, Mohammad Rizwan remained unbeaten on 42 off 34 balls with six fours and a maximum as Pakistan won the game with nine balls to spare. Adam Milne took 2 wickets for New Zealand, while Ish Sodhi, Rachin Ravindra and Blair Tickner shared a wicket each.

Here’s how fans reacted to Pakistan’s win:

https://twitter.com/Pratikstan16/status/1651655735523299328

https://twitter.com/82atMelbourne/status/1651656328312664064

https://twitter.com/ABXD_DC/status/1651656033788645376

https://twitter.com/PKMKBianADI/status/1651656612699058177

Same vibe #T20worldcup Edited by me #PAKvsNZ #Naseem #naseemshah pic.twitter.com/4ertCzVB92

— BabarXKohli (@BabarXKoh1i) April 28, 2023

https://twitter.com/irfann_ehmad7/status/1651831959881142272

https://twitter.com/AliMomin2274/status/1651828812601241601