CHRISTCHURCH – Pakistani skipper Babar Azam rocks with a knock of 79* in the run chase and powered Men in Green to a dominating six-wicket win over New Zealand in the second match of the ongoing Tri-nation series.

The visitors earlier restrict the Williamson-led squad under 150 courtesy of a brilliant bowling performance. Haris Rauf displayed A-game in the last moments as the pacer got 3 scalps in single over.

Black Caps' opener Devon Conway made 36 off 35 and skipper Kane Williamson also played well with 31 off 30. After creating the foundation, the hosts' players struggled for smashing boundaries.

https://twitter.com/TheRealPCB/status/1578681877149679617

Haris garnered praise for fiery spells, young blood Dahani got 1 scalp, Wasim and Mohammad Nawaz got 2 wickets each.

Earlier, Kiwi captain Kane Williamson won the toss and opted to bat first against Pakistan in the second match of tri-nation series.

https://twitter.com/TheRealPCB/status/1578653464984375296

Pakistan lock horns with hosts New Zealand today in their second match of the ongoing tri-nation series, a day after beating Bangladesh.

The game will be played at Hagley Oval in Christchurch. Fans are eagerly waiting as it's the weekend and their squad will take on the likes of Tim Southee and Trent Boult.

In a blow for Men in Green, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced that pacers Naseem Shah and Mohammad Hasnain are also not available for today's game due to illness.

PCB spokesperson said Usman Qadir also sustained a thumb fracture while fielding in the match against England and will not be able to play for three weeks.

Ahead of T20 World Cup, Kane Williamson is back leading the Kiwi side which also sees the return of Guptill, Boult, & Latham. The hosts played short format games against Netherlands, Ireland, West Indies, and Scotland.

Earlier, Babar-led squad performed well in the first game against Bangladesh, however, the middle order is still struggling. In the last encounter, Mohammed Rizwan carried the batting on his able shoulders.

Brilliant spells in the middle from Wasim Junior and Nawaz restricted Bangladesh to 146 for eight after Pakistan posted 167 for five.

PAKvBAN: Pakistan beat Bangladesh by 21 runs in first match of Tri-series

Team Green will faceoff New Zealand and Bangladesh on 11 and 13 October in second phase, with the final scheduled for Friday, 14 October.

Squads

Pakistan: Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Shan Masood, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Haider Ali, Asif Ali, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Haris Rauf, Shahnawaz Dahani

New Zealand: Guptill, Conway, Kane Williamson, Chapman, Glenn Phillips, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Boult, Southee, Ish Sodhi Ferguson

Schedule

Friday, October 7 – Pakistan v Bangladesh, 2:00 am GMT/ 7:30 am IST

Saturday, October 8 – Pakistan v New Zealand, 6:00 am GMT/ 11.30 am IST

Sunday, October 9 – Bangladesh v New Zealand, 6:00 am GMT/ 11.30 am IST

Tuesday, October 11 – New Zealand v Pakistan, 2:00 am GMT/ 7:30 am IST

Wednesday, October 12 – Bangladesh v New Zealand, 2:00 am GMT/ 7:30 am IST

Thursday, October 13 – Bangladesh v Pakistan, 2:00 am GMT/ 7:30 am IST

Friday, October 14 – Final, 2:00 am GMT/ 7:30 am IST