ABU DHABI: Fast bowler Trent Boult became the third New Zealander to record a hat-trick in a one-day international as the Kiwis beat Pakistan by 47 runs on Wednesday.

Boult (3-54) nailed Pakistan’s top order with the wickets of Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam and Mohammad Hafeez off successive deliveries after New Zealand posted a decent 266-9.

Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed (64) and Imad Wasim (50) shared a century-stand and gave their team a chance before New Zealand bowled them out for 219 in 47.2 overs to take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

Earlier, half centuries from Ross Taylor (80) and Tom Latham (68) revived New Zealand after captain Kane Williamson won the toss and elected to bat.

Taylor and Latham shared a brilliant 130-run fourth-wicket stand before Pakistan hit back in the last 10 overs with its ace leg-spinner Shadab Khan (4-38) claiming three wickets in four balls and fast bowler Shaheen Afridi ending up with 4-46.

Shadab broke the century stand by having Latham and Henry Nicholls leg before wicket off consecutive balls and one ball later Colin de Grandhomme was caught in the slip.

Taylor looked set for a century but played on to left-arm spinner Wasim before Ish Sodhi (24) and Tim Southee (20) played little cameos and lifted the total in the last five overs.

Pakistan’s top order batsmen did brilliantly in the Twenty20s, but were jolted by Boult at the upfront. The left-arm seamer cramped Zaman and had the left-hander clean bowled in his second over and Azam was snapped by Taylor chest high in the first slip.

Hafeez was trapped leg before wicket as Boult completed the hat-trick and nailed Pakistan to eight for the loss of three wickets.

Imamul Haq (34) and Shoaib Malik (30) shared a 63-run stand, but both fell in space of two runs and Shadab was unlucky to be given out caught behind as television replays suggested the ball was nowhere near his bat.

Sarfraz Ahmed and Imad Wasim then raised a 103-run stand which brought Pakistan back into the match before Ahmed played on to de Grandhomme’s full-pitched delivery. Wasim was caught by de Grandhomme soon after reaching his half century and Pakistan lost its last three wickets at the total of 219. Lockie Ferguson finished with 3-36.

Scoreboard

NEW ZEALAND

G. Worker c Sarfraz b Shaheen 1

C. Munro lbw b Shaheen 29

K. Williamson c Hafeez b Shadab 27

L. Taylor b Wasim 80

T. Latham lbw b Shadab 68

H. Nicholls lbw b Shadab 0

C. de Grandhomme c Azam b Shadab 0

T. Southee c Junaid b Shaheen 20

I. Sodhi c Shadab b Shaheen 24

L. Ferguson not out 3

T. Boult not out 8

EXTRAS: (lb3, w3) 6

TOTAL: (for nine wkts; 50 overs) 266

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-13, 2-36, 3-78, 4-208, 5-208, 6-208, 7-210, 8-252, 9-254

BOWLING: Junaid 9-1-56-0, Shaheen 8-1-46-4 (1w), Hasan 9-0-62-0, Wasim 8-0-38-1 (1w), Shadab 10-1-38-4 (1w), Hafeez 6-0-23-0

PAKISTAN

Imamul Haq c Grandhomme b Ferguson 34

Fakhar Zaman b Boult 1

Babar Azam c Taylor b Boult 0

Mohammad Hafeez lbw b Boult 0

S. Malik c Williamson b Grandhomme 30

Sarfraz Ahmed b de Grandhomme 64

Shadab Khan c Latham b Sodhi 7

Imad Wasim c Grandhomme b Southee 50

Hasan Ali c Boult b Ferguson 16

Shaheen Shah Afridi b Ferguson 0

Junaid Khan not out 0

EXTRAS: (lb4, nb1, w12) 17

TOTAL: (all out; 47.2 overs) 219

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-8, 2-8, 3-8, 4-71, 5-73, 6-85, 7-188, 8-219, 9-219

BOWLING: Boult 10-1-54-3 (6w), Southee 9-1-31-1, Ferguson 9.2-0-36-3 (3w), de Grandhomme 10-0-40-2 (1w), Sodhi 9-0-54-1 (1nb, 2w)

RESULT: New Zealand won by 47 runs

TOSS: New Zealand

UMPIRES: Joe Wilson (WIS) and S. Raza (PAK)

TV UMPIRE: Nigel Llong (ENG)

MATCH REFEREE: Javagal Srinath (IND).

Published in Dawn, November 8th, 2018