Pakistan put in yet another poor effort with the bat as they surrendered the ODI series against New Zealand in Hamilton on Wednesday, falling to an 84-run defeat in the second of the three-match series.
After losing the preceding T20 series comprehensively by 4-1 margin, Pakistan were hoping for a better display in the ODI leg of their tour, especially since their experienced players were back in the side.
However, the presence of star batters Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan did not count for much as New Zealand's fast bowlers once again had Pakistan on the ropes, reducing the visitors to 72-7 chasing 293.
All-rounder Faheem Ashraf fought hard, scoring 73 to take the score to 208. But it only delayed the inevitable and made the margin of defeat less embarrassing, having lost the first ODI in Napier by 73 runs.
Pakistan were never in the hunt after New Zealand's pace attack of Will O'Rourke (1-19), Jacob Duffy (3-35) and Ben Sears (5-59) had them ducking and weaving on a spicy surface.
Babar and Rizwan failed to get into double digits as Pakistan's first five batters got dismissed cheaply. Apart from Ashraf and Tayyab Tahir (13), all visiting top order batters got out to single figures. To make matters worse, fast bowler Haris Rauf, who was smashed for 75 runs in his 10 overs, had to retire hurt after getting hit on the helmet by an O'Rourke bouncer.
Pakistan finished on 208 in 41.2 overs, with concussion substitute Naseem Shah scoring freely during his innings of 51 from 44 balls which took the score past 200.
“We didn't do well as a batting group because the start of the batting we didn't utilize the swing and New Zealand bowled very well,” Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan said. “Later on Faheem and Naseem batted very well on a disappointing day for us.”
What will hurt Pakistan even more is the fact New Zealand are missing half their squad currently in India playing in the IPL.
It was another lesser known player – wicketkeeper Mitch Hay – who rattled Pakistan. Batting first in seamer friendly conditions, New Zealand batters showed excellent application against new-ball bowlers Ashraf (1-46) and Aqif Javed (1-48).
Hay tried his best to complete his first ODI ton, hitting 22 runs, including two sixes and two fours, in the final over. He fell a run short of a dream ton but helped the home team to recover and then flourish on a tough pitch.
He downplayed his innings as "just swinging from the hip and hoping" but Hay's captain Michael Bracewell and rival skipper Rizwan saw it as a match-defining performance.
"We lost a few wickets then the way Mitch batted at the end was outstanding, and throughout his whole innings, to get us through to a competitive total," Bracewell said.
Rizwan lamented his side's inability to handle the swing and bounce of the New Zealand bowlers. "Mitch Hay, he played very well and that's why they put a good target on the board," he said.
All top-order batters got starts but failed to get going. It was Hay who provided the impetus, scoring an unbeaten 99 from just 78 balls to lift New Zealand to 292-8.
Hay received good support from newcomer Muhammad Abbas, sharing a half-century partnership from 65 balls before Pakistan-born Abbas fell for 41. Abbas had earlier made 50 from 24 balls in the first ODI – the fastest fifty on debut in ODI history.
For Pakistan, left-arm wrist spinner Sufiyan Muqeem was once again their best bowler. The slow left-armer was used just once during the T20 series, where he picked up 2-6 in a losing cause in the final T20.
On Wednesday, Muqeem picked up 2-33 from his 10 overs, taking the important wickets of Daryl Mitchell and Abbas.
While Ashraf and Javed returned economical figures of less than five an over, Rauf and Mohammad Wasim (2-78) were belted to all parts, resulting in a score that was well above par.
“It's challenging conditions here,” Rizwan said. “If you look at their bowlers, they get swing and bounce which is different from the Asian conditions. But we don't make excuses.”
The final match of the ODI series takes place at Mount Maunganui on Saturday.
