RAWALPINDI: It seemed like Pakistan were dreading a Mark Chapman onslaught even before he got going.

The southpaw, who had haunted the hosts when he visited with New Zealand last year, gave Pakistan not one, but two chances to get rid of himself, but both were let slip.

Chapman, therefore, would go on to punish Pakistan brutally, helping the BlackCaps chase down a formidable 179-run target with seven wickets and 10 balls to spare and equal the five-match series 1-1 here at the Pindi Cricket Stadium on Sunday.

Coming in it number four, Chapman plundered the Pakistan bowlers for 87 off 42 balls, hitting nine fours and four sixes in the process. He knitted an 88-run partnership with Dean Foxcroft, who played a supporting role in the heist.

New Zealand had managed 59 in the powerplay, before openers Tim Siefert and Tim Robinson were castled by Pakistan pacers Naseem Shah and Abbas Afridi.

Pakistan could have made further inroads had Naseem taken an easy catch at short fine-leg off Shadab Khan’s bowling to dismiss Chapman when he was batting at 16.

He survived to take the visitors to 80-1 by the halfway stage along with Foxcroft and started making Pakistan regret the dropped chance with a clean hit through the covers off Abbas in the 11th over before lofting Iftikhar Ahmed’s off-spin over the bowler’s head for his first six.

Chapman was dropped again in the 13th over, this time by Usman Khan — although it was a tough chance — and celebrated his second reprieve, carting leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed over deep fine for another boundary.

The southpaw cleared long-off off Shadab in the next over for his second maximum and took a couple of runs to bring up his half-century in 29 balls.

Chapman stole two consecutive boundaries off Shaheen Shah Afridi before Foxcroft joined the party with a powerful pull for six against the pacer, who gave away 17 runs in the 15th over.

Chapman was equally hostile towards Naseem, smacking him for two fours and as many sixes as New Zealand added 23 more to the total in the over, also bringing up the 100-run partnership between Chapman and Foxcroft.

When a wicket finally came — with Abbas dismissing Foxcroft for 31 off 29 — New Zealand needed just nine more to win, and Chapman took them over the line with ease.

Earlier, a late onslaught by Shadab and Irfan Khan pulled Pakistan out of trouble following a short middle-order crisis, which started with Mohammad Rizwan walking off the field due to injury.

The pair, which got together with almost seven overs, amassed 62 off just 34 balls, with Shadab hitting two sixes and four fours for his 41 off 20. Irfan, meanwhile, stayed unbeaten 30 off 20 balls, launching a six and three fours throughout the course of his knock.

An explosive start by Pakistan openers Babar Azam and Saim Ayub boosted the hosts to 54-0 in the powerplay, with Babar bringing up Pakistan’s 50 with a gorgeous hit over long-on off his counterpart Michael Bracewell’s off-break.

The Pakistan skipper, however, was less of an aggressor than Saim in the first six overs, with the left-hander smashing a six and five fours in the period. But on the first delivery he faced after the powerplay overs was his last, as he became leg-spinner Ish Sodhi and New Zealand’s opening breakthrough.

Babar did not let that break Pakistan’s rhythm, and with the incoming Rizwan, took the side to 84-1 by the halfway stage, only to spoon Bracewell to Jacob Duffy at point to depart for 37 off 29.

Pakistan brought up their 100 by the end of the 12th over, with Rizwan and Usman in the middle. But it went haywire for Pakistan all of a sudden after that, as Rizwan pulled a cramp to get retired hurt and Usman holed Sodhi out to Duffy at long-off two balls later, leaving Pakistan at 105-3.

But once Shadab and Irfan got going, Pakistan regained their lost momentum and more than made up for the time lost. After Irfan punished a Sodhi half-tracker for his first boundary, Shadab launched Duffy’s pace high and long over midwicket to tee off his fireworks.

Irfan’s first six was a handsome hit over long-on off Bracewell on the next ball before Shadab smacked the spinner straight down the ground for a humungous six and lifted him through the covers for four more. The former Pakistan vice-captain was undone by Duffy eight balls later, but by that point he had done the damage.

Irfan crafted two more boundaries off Zakary Foulkes’ pace in the last over to drive Pakistan to what proved to be an easy target to chase for New Zealand.

SCOREBOARD

PAKISTAN:

Saim Ayub c Neesham b Sodhi 32

Babar Azam c Duffy b Bracewell 37

Mohammad Rizwan retired hurt 22

Usman Khan c Duffy b Sodhi 5

Irfan Khan not out 30

Shadab Khan c Chapman b Duffy 41

Iftikhar Ahmed not out 2

EXTRAS (B-1, LB-1, NB-3, W-4) 9

TOTAL (for four wickets, 20) 178

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-55 (Saim), 2-84 (Babar), 3-104 (Usman), 4-166 (Shadab)

DID NOT BAT: Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Abbas Afridi, Abrar Ahmed

BOWLING: Foulkes 4-0-39-0 (2w), Duffy 4-0-39-1(1w), Bracewell 4-0-40-1 (1w), O’Rourke 4-0-33-0 (3nb), Sodhi 4-0-25-2

NEW ZEALAND:

T. Robinson b Naseem 28

T. Seifert b Abbas 21

D. Foxcroft c&b Abbas 31

M. Chapman not out 87

J. Neesham not out 6

EXTRAS (NB-1, W-5) 6

TOTAL (for three wickets,18.2 overs) 179

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-42 (Seifert), 2-53 (Robinson), 3-170 (Foxcroft)

DID NOT BAT: M. Bracewell, C. McConchie, Z. Foulkes, I. Sodhi, J. Duffy, W. O’Rourke

BOWLING: Shaheen 3.2-0-37-0 (1w, 1nb), Naseem 3-0-44-1 (2w), Abrar 4-0-31-0, Abbas 3-0-27-2 (2w), Shadab 3-0-24-0, Iftikhar 2-0-16-0

RESULT: New Zealand won by seven wickets.

Published in Dawn, April 22nd, 2024