In the first of five Twenty20 Internationals, Pakistan lost to New Zealand by a loping nine-wicket margin on Sunday, marking the beginning of a new era in white ball cricket.
In the match that followed Pakistan’s poor home showing in the 50-over Champions Trophy and preceded the 2026 T20 World Cup, Salman Ali Agha was captaining a redesigned Pakistani team for the first time.
Tim Siefert scored 44 runs in 29 balls and Finn Allen scored 29 runs from 17 balls as New Zealand easily chased down the target of 92 runs with a loss of only one run. Tim Robinson, who scored 18 runs, came to bat after losing one wicket of Tim Siefert.
He struck two runs on the first ball of the eleventh over to give New Zealand the victory in the opening match of their five Twenty20 Internationals against Pakistan.
It was challenging; we fell short, but we must regroup (before Dunedin). There was some seam movement and they bowled pretty well in excellent spots. We’ll get together, talk, and plan the upcoming game. Our three debutants will learn more the more games they play. Salman Ali Agha said during the post-match presentation, “The new ball does a bit in New Zealand, we’ve got good bowlers, and we’ll look to do well in the next match.”
Ish Sodhi, Jacob Duffy, and Kyle Jamieson’s outstanding bowling performance smashed Pakistan’s batting order and held them to just 91. In just 10.1 overs, the Kiwis easily reached the 92/1 mark while chasing the objective in reply. Kyle Jamieson, the player of the match, also gave his opinion on the game during the post-match presentation.
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