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Pakistan spoil White Ferns' party to claim T20 series victory
Logan Swinkels • December 5th, 2023 4:42 pm
Pakistan have taken the T20I series against the White Ferns with a match to spare as New Zealand’s bats struggled throughout, losing by 10 runs chasing a modest 138.
It wasn’t the day the New Zealand side would have been hoping for given the occasion. Today, Dunedin’s University Oval hung banners around the ground, plus friends, family and former teammates formed a guard of honour for Suzie Bates as celebrations continued for her milestone of over 300 international appearances.
NZ winning the toss and electing to bowl first this time around, Eden Carson had the first ball before Hannah Rowe and Fran Jonas attempted to attack Pakistan’s opening pair of Muneeba Ali and Shawaal Zulfiqar to no avail.
Like the first match of the series, NZ skipper Sophie Devine struck first, delivering the much-needed breakthrough before they could allow too many early runs, bowling out Shawaal on 7 in the fifth over.
With an incredible display of athleticism, Rowe caught and bowled Muneeba mid follow-through – the Pakistani opener had been threatening to go big, scoring 35 off 28 balls.
Struggling with a niggly injury, Pakistan skipper Nida Dar was the next to go, quickly followed by Bismah Maroof in the same over as Molly Penfold entered the Ferns’ pace attack for the first time this series to grab a double.
With a target of 138 set, the run chase began in the worst way possible for the New Zealanders after opener Bernadine Bezuidenhout was dismissed within three deliveries – two runs, followed by a chance behind the stumps for Pakistan keeper Najiha Alvi, before being bowled out by Sadia Iqbal.
Bates was joined at the crease by Melie Kerr, returning to White Ferns duties from the WBBL’s Brisbane Heat – however, any hope of the pair putting together a significant second-wicket partnership was quickly dashed when Sadia claimed her second wicket of the innings, the White Ferns in a spot of bother after three overs at 9/2.
The hurt continued when Fatima Sana bowled out Devine, found chopping the ball onto her wicket, and two balls later, Bates joined her captain back in the pavilion after being dismissed in dramatically similar fashion for Fatima’s second.
19-year-old Georgia Plimmer and 31-year-old Maddy Green were tasked with steadying the ship at 29/4 – Plimmer smashed the Kiwis’ first six of their international home summer, providing a glimpse into the future of this team.
Green aimed to loft a shot over the field in the thirteenth over but failed to connect cleanly with Nida Dar’s delivery, the ball landing comfortably into the hands of Diana Baig – at 64/5, while the target was still in sight, the required run rate continued to climb.
Plimmer put up a career-best total of 28 in her young international T20 cricket career, but her run out in the seventeenth over seemingly put an end to any fightback by the White Ferns.
With 33 runs needed off the final 12 balls, Leah Tahuhu signaled her intent by sending the ball straight down the ground and over the ropes - Rowe followed suit with a four to punish some untidy bowling at the death by Diana.
15 runs off the penultimate over set up a nail-biting conclusion with 18 more needed to complete the unlikeliest of comebacks.
Four leg byes were the start the Kiwis needed from the last six balls, but three deliveries later, Fatima claimed her third to end Rowe’s 33-run stand enroute to completing Pakistan’s 10-run victory.
The T20I series will conclude on Saturday at Queenstown’s Sir John Davies Oval ahead of next week’s three-match ODI series.
Join SENZ for live ball-by-ball coverage of the White Ferns from 12.30pm this Saturday – available on all local frequencies and the SENZ app.
