ANI
Lahore
Tim Robinson’s blitz with the bat and William O’Rourke’s remarkable spell put New Zealand ahead in the series following a four-run win against Pakistan in the 4th T20I at the Gaddafi Stadium on Thursday.
A nail-biting thriller that kept the fans on the edge of their seats at scenic Gaddafi Stadium witnessed the Kiwis take an unassailable lead in the series.
The inexperienced quick made early inroads by dismissing skipper Babar Azam in the second over. Saim Ayub showed promise on the other end but O’Rourke got the better of him.
With Pakistan reduced to 79/4 in the 10th over, Fakhar Zaman raised hopes of a win. He took on the opposition bowlers to keep the required rate in Pakistan’s reach.
Iftikhar Ahmed (23) and Imad Wasim (22*) backed Fakhar as he tried to pull off a win for the Men in Green.
Fakhar got Pakistan close to the finish line, but Ben Sears proved to be the game-changer as he removed the left-handed batter in the 18th over. With 28 runs needed in the final two overs, Imad went berserk and almost pulled off the win for the hosts.
ScorescColor:> New Zealand 178/7 in 20 overs (Tim Robinson 51, Dean Foxcroft 34, Abbass Afridi 3/20) beat Pakistan 174/8 (Fakhar Zaman 61; William O’Rourke 3-27, Ben Sears 2-27).
