Tim Seifert’s blistering knock of 97 and James Neesham’s brilliant five-wicket haul powered New Zealand to a commanding victory over Pakistan in the fifth and final T20I at Sky Stadium, Wellington, on Wednesday.
With this win, the Blackcaps sealed the five-match series 4-1 against the Men in Green. Neesham was named Player of the Match for his exceptional bowling performance, while Seifert was awarded Player of the Series for his outstanding batting throughout the tournament.
Chasing a modest target of 129, New Zealand got off to a blistering start, reaching 92/0 in the powerplay. Seifert was the aggressor, smashing 63 runs off just 26 balls, while Finn Allen contributed 27 off 11 deliveries. Sufiyan Muqeem provided some relief for Pakistan, dismissing Allen in the seventh over for 27 off 12 balls, including five fours and a six.
Mark Chapman, who walked in after Allen’s dismissal, fell to Muqeem in the ninth over with the team score at 103. Daryl Mitchell then joined Seifert at the crease, scoring an unbeaten 2 off 4 deliveries. Seifert finished the match in style, taking on Pakistan’s vice-captain Shadab Khan and hitting four sixes in the tenth over to seal the win. He played a breathtaking knock of 97* off just 37 balls, striking at an astonishing 255, with ten sixes and six fours. Chapman was the second-highest scorer for New Zealand with 27 runs.
Muqeem was the standout bowler for Pakistan, taking two wickets for just six runs in his two-over spell. However, the rest of the bowling attack struggled against New Zealand’s aggressive batting. Jahandad Khan conceded 43 runs in two overs, Mohammad Ali gave away 27 in two overs, while Haris Rauf and Shadab Khan both went wicketless, leaking 22 and 33 runs, respectively.
Earlier, Pakistan posted 128/9 in their 20 overs, with captain Salman Agha leading the charge with a fighting 51 off 39 balls. Hasan Nawaz fell for a duck in the second over to Jacob Duffy, while Mohammad Haris (11) was dismissed by Ben Sears in the fifth over. Omair Yousuf followed soon after, falling to Duffy for seven.
Pakistan kept losing wickets at regular intervals and were struggling at 52/5 by the 11th over. Agha and Shadab Khan then put together a crucial 50-run partnership before Shadab departed for 28, falling to Neesham. The innings quickly unraveled from 106/6 to 123/9, with Neesham running through the lower order.
Neesham was the star with the ball, finishing with figures of 5/22 in his four overs. Duffy also impressed, taking 2/18 in four overs. Ben Sears and Ish Sodhi chipped in with a wicket each, while William O’Rourke bowled a tight spell, conceding 29 runs in four overs without picking up a wicket.
Brief Scores:
Pakistan: 128/9 in 20 overs (Salman Agha 51, Shadab Khan 28, James Neesham 5/22)
New Zealand: 131/2 in 10 overs (Tim Seifert 97*, Finn Allen 27, Sufiyan Muqeem 2/6).
