New Zealand bounce back against Pakistan, T20 series level with 1-1

Rawalpindi: New Zealand defeated Pakistan by seven wickets in the third T20 match at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Sunday.

The series is now tied at 1-1, with two matches remaining in Lahore. The matches are scheduled for April 25 and 27 at Gaddafi Stadium.

New Zealand got off to a flying start with openers Tim Robinson (28) and Tim Seifert (21) chasing a target of 179, scoring 42 for the first wicket.

Babar Eleven attempted a comeback with back-to-back dismissals from Naseem Shah and Abbas Afridi, but Chapman, paired with Dan Foxcroft, had plans of his own.

The left-hander was aggressive with a 117-run partnership, while Foxcroft supported him brilliantly. Chapman reached his eighth fifty in the format and finished with an unbeaten score of 87. He hit nine fours and four sixes in his 42-ball inning.

Foxcroft scored 31 off 29 balls, and the chase was completed in the 19th over.

Earlier, Pakistan made 178/4 batting first. The hosts got off to a good start, and Saim Ayub dominated the visitors. The opening pair of Saim and Babar made 54/0. After scoring 32 off 22 balls at a strike rate of 145.45, Saim was caught out by James Neem Shah off Ash Sodhi.

Babar Azam looked very good but was caught by Jacob Duffy and bowled by Michael Bracewell. He scored 37 off 29 balls at a strike rate of 127.58.

Mohammad Rizwan had to retire from Hurt after scoring 23 runs off 22 balls; Irfan Khan was included in the team in his place.

Read more: Pakistan beat New Zealand by 7 wickets, take 1-0 lead in T20 series

Usman Khan could not score much again and got out after scoring 4 runs off 6 balls.

Irfan was joined by all-rounder Shadab Khan, and the two formed an explosive partnership, dominating the proceedings.

In a partnership of 62 runs, Shadab scored 41 runs off 20 balls with the help of six fours.

Meanwhile, Irfan scored 30 runs off 20 balls, three fours, and a six.

Veteran spinner Ash Sodhi was the best bowler for New Zealand, finishing with figures of 2/25.

Remember, Pakistan made one change from their side that beat the Kiwis in the second T20I on Saturday, replacing Mohammad Amir with Abbas Afridi, who played his first international match in nearly four years.

On the other hand, New Zealand added Zach Foulkes and Will Overke to the playing XI over Jacob Duffy and Ben Sears, respectively.