Pakistan Come Roaring Back

3^rd T20I New Zealand v Pakistan, AMI Stadium, Christchurch, 30 Dec 2010

Just when Pakistan were looking at their woeful worst, they came back to their imposing best to crush the Black Caps in the 3^rd T20I. It was a dead rubber for New Zealand but for Pakistan there is nothing like this these days.

Pakistan chose to bat and gave debut to Tanvir Ahmed and brought in another spinner in Abdur Rehman. Shoaib and Umar Gul were dumped which may have raised some eye brows but they both have been ignominiously impotent in the previous two matches. New Zealand gave another chance to promising and express Adam Milne and Dean Brownlie.

Ahmed Shehzad and M Hafeez gave Pakistan a rollicking start of 81 in just 8.4 overs. Shehzad showed why people have high hopes of him by cracking a swashbuckling 54 in 34 balls laced with 10 exquisite fours. He did not try to over-do this time and played his natural game. Hafeez made a stylish 34 with 5 fours and an astonishing six off Southee on bent knees.  Pakistan lost 3 quick wickets and hence momentum in the middle overs. Younis and Asad Shafiq were clueless as Pakistan scored just 25 runs off 31 balls till one of these two was on the crease. At 100 for 3 after 13 overs they needed their big-hitters to fire. Afridi breathed fire for a while but first Umar Akmal (30 off 19 balls) and then Abdul Razzaq the ‘Razzler’ played gems to take the eventual total to 183. The Razzler’ was at his menacing best specially after being dropped early on. He hit 2 sixes off the penultimate over bowled by Southee and then murdered Milne for 4,6,4,4 in the last over. Last 2 overs cost 19 each. Abdul made 34 off only 11 balls. Franklin was the best bowler with 3 for 12 while Southee and Milne were taken for 48 and 53 runs respectively.

New Zealand were confident of chasing down the total considering their form but they were struck by lightening from the outset. They were reduced to 4 for 3 runs by the 3^rd over then 11 for 5 in the 5^th. Razzler got 3 while Afridi got a run out through a stunning direct-hit. Tanvir as he had done on his test debut got a wicket in his first T20I over by getting rid of Jesse Ryder on his 3^rd delivery. It was the worst ever start by a team in a T20I and New Zealand were looking to set a new record for lowest ever total in T20Is. The record is held by Kenya who made 67 against Ireland in 2008 while for a test nation it is held by India, 74 versus Australia at MCG in 2007-8. New Zealand avoided that humiliation thanks to a blitz by Styris who made 45 off 34 balls with 6 fours and a six and eventually were all out for 80 in the 16^th over. Afridi who was on a hat-trick at one stage and clocked up to 134 km/h finished with 4 for 14 becoming the first bowler to get 50 T20I wickets in the process, while the Man of the Match Abdul Razzaq got 3 for 13. Pakistan won by 103 runs, their best margin of victory by runs and 4^th over all.

With this win Pakistan has eased into the tour now and will go into the test matches with some confidence. It was a breathtaking performance by a team which is considered the best in this format. Whether they keep the momentum going in the rest of the tour only time will tell.