ISLAMABAD: On-song New Zealand batter Daryl Mitchell smashed his second consecutive century against Pakistan on Saturday, powering the Black Caps to 336-5 at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.
After opener Will Young departed for a mediocre 19 from 22 balls, Mitchell and Chad Bowes steadied the New Zealand innings with an 86-ruin partnership that ended with Bowes’ dismissal at 51 (51).
However, Mitchell and New Zealand skipper Tom Latham built up an impressive partnership as well, one comprising 183 runs between the two of them. Latham missed out on his century, getting dismissed off a Haris Rauf ball for 98 (85).
Mitchell, however, was once again the star of the Black Caps’ innings. He scored 129 (119), smashing eight fours and three sixes during his innings. James Neesham scored 17 (15) while the in-form Chapman was unable to impress, getting dismissed for only 1.
Rauf was the pick of the Pakistani pacers, finishing with figures of 4/78 while Naseem Shah finished with 1/49. Fast bowler Ihsanullah went for an expensive 60 runs from the eight overs that he bowled.
Pakistan won the first match of the series by five wickets and nine balls to spare. They are currently 1-0 up in the five-match series.
Karachi will host the remaining three games next week.
Lineups:
New Zealand: Chad Bowes, Will Young, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (captain), Mark Chapman, Henry Nicholls, James Neesham, Rachin Ravindra, Ish Sodhi, Matt Henry, Henry Shipley.
Pakistan: Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam (captain), Abdullah Shafique, Mohammad Rizwan, Salman Ali Agha, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Ihsanullah, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf.
