MOUNT MAUNGANUI – Pakistan laid claim to being the best Twenty20 side inthe world Sunday after beating New Zealand in the series-deciding thirdTwenty20 match in Mount Maunganui.
The 18-run victory gave Pakistan a come-from-behind 2-1 series win thatwill see them overtake New Zealand at the top of the world rankings.
Captain Sarfraz Ahmed leapt with delight after the final ball as Pakistanpulled off back-to-back wins over the hosts.
Batting first, Pakistan reached 181 for six with Fakhar Zaman making 46 off36 at the top of the innings. Umar Amin led a late charge that saw 58 runsscored in the final four overs.
New Zealand, in reply, were never up with the run chase, and managed 163for six in their 20 overs.
The defeat followed a 48-run loss in the second game, after New Zealandswept the one-day series and won the first T20.
The consecutive defeats, following an unbeaten 13-match winning streakacross all formats against the West Indies and Pakistan, put a dampener onNew Zealand’s preparation for next month’s triangular series with Australiaand England.
Zaman was the architect at the start of the Pakistan innings with a sharp46 before being dismissed in a debatable decision when Tom Bruce took acatch at ground level.
Television replays were inconclusive on whether the ball touched the grass,and after lengthy deliberations the third umpire ruled in favor of theon-field decision.
New Zealand managed to arrest Pakistan’s brisk early run rate in the middleof the innings before Amin ensured a competitive total at the end.
The 28-year-old left-hander smacked his 21 off the first five balls in anover from Ish Sodhi before the New Zealand spinner claimed the wicket offhis final delivery.
Haris Sohail chipped in with 20 off 12 balls while Aamer Yamin, replacingthe injured Hasan Ali, faced six deliveries for his 15.
New Zealand struggled from the start of their reply to get near therequired run rate of more than nine an over, and were in early trouble whenFaheem Ashraf claimed Kane Williamson for nine.
Martin Guptill attempted to bully the bowlers but it was primarily a lonestand. When he was removed for 59 off 43 balls in the 13th over, therequired run rate had shot up to 13.57.
Ross Taylor put the ball over the boundary fence three times in his 25 off10 balls.
But with his dismissal in the 17th over, New Zealand were 128 for five andtheir hopes of a miraculous comeback were over.