At the time of the third rain interruption, Pakistan had reached 200/1 in 25.3 overs, and the DLS par score was 179. Unfortunately, the rain prevented any further play, and the Asian side was declared the winner.
Fakhar Zaman’s performance was nothing short of extraordinary, leaving New Zealand to rue the fact that, despite posting a formidable 401 runs on the board, they ended up second to Pakistan. It raises the question of what more the skilled and composed Kane Williamson could have done. However, such is the unpredictable nature of cricket, and this match at Chinnaswamy Stadium exemplified it. In the earlier stages of the game, Pakistan won the toss and chose to field first. Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra made an impressive start, forging a partnership of 68 runs for the opening wicket, marking New Zealand’s highest opening partnership in this World Cup. Hasan Ali dismissed Conway (35 off 39), reaching a milestone of 100 ODI wickets.
Kane Williamson took the crease at number 3 and played a splendid innings. The New Zealand captain, along with the young Ravindra, constructed a massive 180-run partnership for the 2nd wicket, putting the Pakistani bowlers in a challenging position. While Ravindra (108 off 94) achieved his third ODI century and World Cup hundred, Williamson (95 off 79) narrowly missed out on a well-deserved century, thanks to Iftikhar Ahmed. New Zealand had several cameo contributions in the middle order, with Daryl Mitchell (29 off 18), Mark Chapman (39 off 27), Glenn Phillips (41 off 25), and Mitchell Santner (26* off 17), all contributing to the Black Caps’ achievement of their first-ever 400+ total in World Cup history.
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Shaheen Shah Afridi (10-0-90-0) faced a tough time and ended up with an unwanted record as the most expensive bowler in the history of Pakistani World Cup campaigns. Hasan Ali (1/82) and Haris Rauf (1/85) also found it challenging. Mohammad Wasim Jr was the standout bowler for Pakistan, claiming three crucial wickets in his 10-over spell, while Iftikhar Ahmed dismissed the big fish, Williamson. The run-chase of 402 was briefly delayed by rain. When the second innings finally began, Tim Southee quickly dismissed Abdullah Shafique in the 2nd over, only to witness a formidable partnership between Fakhar Zaman and Babar Azam. This experienced duo added an unbroken 194-run partnership for the second wicket, with Fakhar leading the charge.
Fakhar picked up where he left off in the previous game, smashing 11 sixes and 8 fours, amassing a scintillating century that had the Chinnaswamy crowd on their feet. His powerful hitting pushed the New Zealand bowlers into a corner, and he finished unbeaten with 126 runs from 81 balls. Meanwhile, skipper Babar (66* off 63) notched up his fourth fifty of the tournament, maintaining momentum despite several rain interruptions.
During the first rain delay, Pakistan was comfortably ahead of the DLS score by 10 runs, and the delay lasted for more than 90 minutes. The revised target was set at 342 runs in 41 overs, with Pakistan resuming at 160/1 after 21.3 overs. Fakhar and Babar pummeled 20 runs in an Ish Sodhi over before the rain returned in the 26th over, and Pakistan emerged victorious, as they were 21 runs ahead of the DLS par score.
At the time of the third rain interruption, Pakistan had reached 200/1 in 25.3 overs, and the DLS par score was 179. Unfortunately, the rain prevented any further play, and the Asian side was declared the winner.
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