Trent Boult took a hat-trick at the top of the order to send Pakistan reeling after a solid batting performance from the New Zealand batters had laid the groundwork for a 47-run win in the first ODI at Abu Dhabi.
Choosing to bat first, Colin Munro (29 off 27 balls) and Kane Williamson (27 off 38) put on 23 runs for the second wicket, Williamson then combining with Ross Taylor to put on 42 for the third wicket.
Taylor (80 off 112) and Tom Latham (68 off 64) added 130 for the fourth wicket to set New Zealand up for a competitive score before Shadab Khan broke the partnership by removing Latham. The Pakistani legbreak bowler narrowly missed out on a hat-trick, following the wicket of Latham by dismissing Henry Nicholls first ball and Colin de Grandhomme two balls later, leaving New Zealand on 208-6 in the 42nd over.
Tim Southee (20 off 21) and Ish Sodhi (24 off 19) put on a vital 42 for the eighth wicket as New Zealand pushed through to 266-9 off their 50 overs.
Shaheen Shah Afridi (4-46, econ 5.75) and Shadab Khan (4-38, econ 3.80) both reaped rewards with the ball, while Mohammad Hafeez (6-0-23-0) kept things tight from his end, going for just 3.83 runs to the over.
Pakistan got off to a horrendous start to their innings, as Trent Boult went one better than Shadab by succeeding in snagging a hat-trick in the third over as Pakistan stumbled to 8-3. Boult bowled Fakhar Zaman for a single, had Babar Azam caught first ball by Taylor and then trapped Mohammad Hafeez leg-before off the following delivery.
Hafeez called for a review of the decision but it was upheld by the third umpire, in so doing securing for Boult the honour of becoming the third New Zealander (after Danny Morrison and Shane Bond) to claim an ODI hat-trick.
Imam-ul-Haq (34 off 46) and Shoaib Malik (30 off 50) added 63 runs for the fourth wicket, but both were back in the hut with the score on 73-5, followed by Shadab Khan for seven to leave the contest all but over with the score on 85-6.
Captain Sarfraz Ahmed (64 off 69, seven fours) and Imad Wasim (50 off 72) added 103 for the seventh wicket before Sarfraz fell with the score on 188. Pakistan edged along to 219-7, at which point Tim Southee had Imad caught off the fifth ball of the 47th over, and Lockie Ferguson took the last two wickets with the first and second balls of the 48th over to secure a 47-run win.
For New Zealand, Ferguson (3-36), Boult (3-54), and De Grondhomme (2-40, plus two catches) did the most damage with the ball, while Southee (1-31, econ 3.44) proved the most economical.
The second ODI will be contested on Friday 9 November at Abu Dhabi.
Photo: Francois Nel/Getty Images)
