In a frenzied, fun game at Eden Park in Auckland in front of a raucous weekend crowd, New Zealand beat Pakistan by 46 runs to pour cold water over Shaheen Afridi's coronation as T20I captain.
New Zealand took advantage of a somewhat indifferent display with the ball from a Pakistani side that had opted to field first, with Daryl Mitchell and Kane Williamson striking half-centuries to top up a blistering attack from Finn Allen.
Pakistan tried to pull things back with debutant Abbas Afridi's 3 for 34 an admirable display in hostile bowling conditions, but it wouldn't stop the home side from amassing 226. thanks to a late cameo from Mark Chapman.
Pakistan responded by unleashing the fury of a side out to prove a point, but lacked in control and pacing what New Zealand had possessed. The home side continued to chip away with regular wickets to dent Pakistan in pursuit of the colossus of a total, and despite a blazing start, the visitors never could get the asking rate under control.
Tim Southee, who became the first player to bring up 150 T20I wickets, was instrumental in reining Pakistan back in with four more wickets. A phenomenal second over where Mohammad Rizwan was tied up and eventually dismissed with a slower ball set the tone, and he would account for Iftikhar Ahmed at a pivotal moment in the chase later on.
There were plenty of cameos across the top six, but only Babar Azam was able to push on, bringing up a good-looking half-century in 33 balls. But Babar was never the man fully equipped to power through as the asking rate had soared beyond 14, and as he fell, Pakistan's challenge fizzled out with something of a whimper. Pakistan lost the last four wickets in 11 balls for seven runs as they folded for 180, giving the home side the initial edge in the series.
Shaheen's first - and Shaheen's second
A Shaheen Afridi first over is always an event, and that was even more the case now he was wearing the captain's armband. The man made sure he would deliver, with a wicket off the second ball when Devon Conway had his bat turned, beaten by the extra pace to scoop one up into the covers. He spent the next four balls working his opposite number over, swinging it both ways as Kane Williamson played out four dot balls.
But if New Zealand started slow, Allen would make up for it with a savage onslaught that began with Shaheen's second over. Shaheen had spoken of the difficulty of bowling full at Eden Park with its short straight boundaries, and in that over, Allen offered a live demonstration. In the 2022 T20 World Cup semi-final, Shaheen had removed Allen in his first over, and New Zealand never recovered from the blow. Here Allen would make amends by smashing each of Shaheen's first five balls for boundaries - two sixes sandwiched by three fours - to plunder 24 in the over and get New Zealand on their way.
ESPNcricinfo/EM
