New Zealand vs Pakistan, ODI, 3rd ODI, April 4, 2025 - Full Commentary
3rd ODI
Pakistan tour of New Zealand, 2025
Status:New Zealand won by 43 runs (42 Ovs game due to wet outfield)
Result:New Zealand won by 43 runs
Toss:Pakistan chose to bowling
Live Score
Score: 221/10
Overs: 39.6
Current RR: 5.52
Batsman: Akif Javed (1)
Bowler: Jacob Duffy (2-40)
Last Wicket: Sufiyan Muqeem c Muhammad Abbas b Ben Sears 2(6) - 221/10 in 39.6 ov.
Recent Overs: ... | 0 4 0 W 0 1 | 1 0 1 0 0 W
Commentary
Bracewell collects the trophy and joins his team-mates as they pose with the WINNERS hoarding. 4-1 in the T20Is, 3-0 in the ODIs, New Zealand will be mighty pleased as they were able to accomplish this despite not having many big names in the squad. Not many positives for Pakistan on the other hand. Hasan Nawaz's hundred was their only highlight in the T20Is. They showed some fight in the ODIs, especially with the ball, but their batting let them down in all three matches. That's it from this white-ball series. Until next time, it's goodbye...
Bracewell | New Zealand captain: When you have a few new guys you always want to do well. That's pleasing. To win the series is added bonus. We have a clear style of how we want to play. I feel like we have done it this series. It's great to see everyone coming in and doing it straightaway. (On the pacers) It was pretty amazing to watch them, they were fast and aggressive, used their height and bounce. It was great to see different guys stepping up.
Mohammad Rizwan | Pakistan captain: Disappointing series for us. Babar played well, two fifties in this series. I give credit to New Zealand in all three departments. It's difficult conditions for us here but they played good in Asian conditions as well. If you lose, you can't say like that (when asked if today was their best performance). NZ won the key moments. After CT and this series, we'll leave the past. PSL is a big tournament for us, hopefully we'll give the people something to cheer.
Ben Sears | Player of the Series: It was a good couple of days. Pretty exciting, really good experience. It's awesome to play with Duff and O'Rourke, it's good fun. Same plan, they were building pressure, we tried to hold it through the middle and create pressure. Nice to get a few wickets.
Michael Bracewell | Player of the Match: It was an enjoyable day. We wanted to put in a good performance in front of a great crowd. The wicket played a lot better than it expected. A great game of cricket. A reduced one, but enjoyable. With reduced number of resources, you get to put your foot down earlier. I was able to play my natural game. The way all of us bowled, it was outstanding. (On his catch) My body is getting a little bit older, just managed to hold onto it with my fingertips.
19:47 Local Time, 06:47 GMT, 12:17 IST: New Zealand whitewash Pakistan 3-0! Ben Sears leads his team off the field and it's time for the handshakes. The hosts, inserted to bat, posted a competitive total on the board, thanks to fifties from Rhys Mariu (at the top) and Michael Bracewell (towards the end). In reply, Pakistan got off to a steady start with Shafique and Babar Azam forging a fifty partnership after Imam had to leave the field concussed. Although there wasn't much assistance for the pacers on this deck, the NZ pacers bowled with a lot of discipline and used the short ball ploy to good effect. While their top-three nicked to slip in the previous ODI, all of them fell to the short ball today including Babar who looked in good touch before holing out against Mitchell. The match was pretty much in the balance when Rizwan and Tahir were batting. But, Pakistan couldn't exert enough pressure on NZ as they lost wickets at crucial moments. Rizwan fell to Duffy's slower ball, Faheem Ashraf got out in the very next over and then Ben Sears wrapped up the proceedings as he bagged his second fifer in as many matches.
Ben Sears to Sufiyan Muqeem, out Caught by Muhammad Abbas!! Back-to-back fifers for Ben Sears! Slower ball on a short of length following a backing away batter. Sufiyan Muqeem looks to slap it away and slices it to mid-off where Abbas takes a tumbling catch. New Zealand win by 43 runs! Sufiyan Muqeem c Muhammad Abbas b Ben Sears 2(6)
Over Summary: 1 0 1 0 0 W
Score: 221/10
Ben Sears to Sufiyan Muqeem, THATS OUT!! Caught!!
Ben Sears to Sufiyan Muqeem, no run, 140.3kph, makes room and swings his bat hard against this length ball outside off, no contact made
Ben Sears to Sufiyan Muqeem, no run, slower ball bouncer, Sufiyan Muqeem goes for the pull and it might have brushed the batter's glove. Doesn't carry to the keeper
Ben Sears to Akif Javed, 1 run, Akif Javed miscues the pull shot. Seifert slightly misjudges and decides not to go for the catch as he runs in from deep backward square leg
Ben Sears to Akif Javed, no run, in-angling fullish ball, Akif Javed clears his front leg to hoick across the line, misses and the ball eludes the leg-stump
Ben Sears to Sufiyan Muqeem, 1 run, slow and short, Sufiyan Muqeem waits and pulls to fine leg
Jacob Duffy to Sufiyan Muqeem, 1 run, slower and fuller, Muqeem backs away to swing across the line and inside-edges it to midwicket
Over Summary: 0 4 0 W 0 1
Score: 219/9
Jacob Duffy to Sufiyan Muqeem, no run, short outside off, Muqeem moves leg-side to slap it over the off-side, misses it by a long way
Sufiyan Muqeem, left handed bat, comes to the crease
Jacob Duffy to Tayyab Tahir, out Caught by Seifert!! Short of length outside off, probably pace-off, a hopping Tayyab Tahir makes decent contact as he slashes hard at it. However, he's picked out the man in the deep. A sitter for Seifert at deep point. Tayyab Tahir c Seifert b Jacob Duffy 33(31) [4s-2 6s-1]
Jacob Duffy to Tayyab Tahir, THATS OUT!! Caught!!
Oh dear! Just as Duffy delivers the ball, the floodlights go off. It's completely dark. The ball was deliveed and Tayyab Tahir walked away. The ball missed the stumps and probably rolled away to the fence. Surely, that'll be deemed as a dead ball. After a small delay, the lights are working now
Jacob Duffy to Tayyab Tahir, no run, 133,8kph, Tahir misses out and he's livid. Overpitched outside off and that's been drilled straight to extra cover