PAKISTAN seemed to have the game and the series in the bag; the odds were firmly stacked in their favour with New Zealand reduced to 73-4 in their chase for 194 to win the fifth and final T20 International. Then came the turnaround led by centurion Mark Chapman, whose audacious hitting floored Babar Azam’s men and led New Zealand — a side shorn of their top-tier players due to IPL commitments — to a series-levelling triumph. It was a chastening defeat for Pakistan, who were 2-0 up in the series after the opening two games, but the warning signs had been there. New Zealand had prevailed in a cliffhanger to win the third game and had shown good value to clinch the fourth, which was abandoned after a hailstorm in Rawalpindi. And once Chapman took on the Pakistan bowlers at the Pindi Cricket Stadium on Monday, Babar’s men seemed at a loss. The much-vaunted bowling attack was torn to shreds, with Chapman finding boundaries at will and accelerating towards the victory target at breakneck speed. A crucial dropped catch off Chapman at 67 — he went on to make 104 not out — contributed to the demise but there were other failings too.

Pakistan played the final game with four opening batters and lost three of them, including Babar, in the space of one run. Opener Mohammad Rizwan made 98 not out but slowed down as he chased a century with other batters looking to hand him the strike. Shaheen Shah Afridi took two wickets in his opening over, and could have got the prized Chapman wicket had Shadab Khan not dropped a catch. He was smashed for plenty in his next three overs. The series may have ended 2-2 but it felt like a loss, as New Zealand was without its top players. Pakistan can now expect a stern test of their credentials in the five-match ODI series against the Kiwis that begins this week.

Published in Dawn, April 26th, 2023