Pak VS New Zeeland - 2nd T20

Umar Akmal struck a half-century as Pakistan claimed a seven-run victory over New Zealand in their second and final Twenty20 international to wrap up a 2-0 series win.

Akmal's 56 off 49 balls helped Pakistan post a total of 153-5 and while Scott Styris gave New Zealand hope with a defiant 43 off 33 the Black Caps were unable to pull off the required final over heroics as they finished on 146-5.

While Akmal proved to be Pakistan's leading light, his supporting cast were less impressive as New Zealand bowler Ian Butler, who took no wickets for 42 runs from his three overs in the first match on Thursday, took three wickets this time around to give his side hope.

Butler bounced back from the indignity of a wide and then being hit for six by Imran Nazir in his first over by removing the opener for 19 after he tried to play his shot too early and was bowled.

His second wicket arrived in the seventh over as Kamran Akmal was trapped leg before for 26.

Shahid Afridi then contributed a quick-fire 22 before he was caught at deep mid-wicket by Shane Bond off the bowling of Nathan McCullum before Butler's third wicket came in the 15th over as Shoaib Malik skied a shot to Styris running in from deep extra cover.

Abdul Razzaq was out for a first-ball duck to James Franklin, but Umar Akmal ensured the scoreboard kept ticking over with Fawad Alam contributing a timely 17 off 13, including a six off Butler in the penultimate over.

It wasn't until the fourth over of New Zealand's reply that Pakistan made their first breakthrough as Bradley-John Watling departed for seven after edging behind off Sohail Tanvir, but Brendon McCullum - who finished with 47 off 41 balls at the top of the order - kept New Zealand in the running.

However, it was his dismissal in the penultimate over by Saeed Ajmal which effectively ended any hope of a surprise recovery.

Martin Guptill became the first of two victims for Umar Gul for 17, who skittled him before claiming the wicket of Styris with the last ball of the match, caught by Malik.

Pak Vs New Zeeland - 1st T20

First Twenty20 International

Dubai

Pakistan 161-8 (Imran Nazir 58) v New Zealand 112

Pakistan beat New Zealand by 49 runs

Pakistan showed just why they are the reigning world Twenty20 champions with a convincing 49-run win in the first of two internationals against New Zealand in Dubai.

Opener Imran Nazir smashed 58 from 38 balls to help his side post a total of 161-8 on a pitch that wasn't easy for the batsmen.

The Kiwis certainly found life tough in their reply, slipping from 25 without loss to 41-4 before eventually being bowled out for 112.

Pakistan had suffered a collapse of their own earlier in the day despite Nazir helping them get off to a superb start after they had been put into bat.

The opener reached his second T20 half-century by hitting Nathan McCullum for six, one of four maximums in his knock. He also managed five fours.

Dangerous Bond

However when he was dismissed by Shane Bond, who finished with impressive figures of 2-17 from his four overs, the innings began to subside.

From 92-2 Pakistan quickly slipped to 116-5, part-time leg-spinner Aaron Redmond removing the dangerous Shahid Afridi for 24 and then taking a return catch off Shoaib Malik (six) before pulling up with a groin strain.

Abdul Razzaq at least produced some late hitting to boost the final score, the all-rounder making an unbeaten 26 from 15 balls.

With Redmond unable to bat due to his injury and Daniel Vettori and Jacob Oram already sidelined, an understrength New Zealand line-up never came close to reaching their target of 162.

Sohail Tanvir removed Martin Guptill in the second over before fellow seamer Mohammad Aamer picked up the key wickets of Brendon McCullum, the stand-in skipper departing for 19, and Ross Taylor in the space of one run.

When all-rounder Neil Broom became Razzaq's second wicket the Black Caps had lost half their side for just 67 runs.

Debutant Bradley-John Watling and Nathan McCullum offered some resistance, the pair both making 22 to at least get the score into three figures before Pakistan wrapped up the win midway through the 19th over.

Pak VS New zeeland - 3rd ODI

Third One Day International

Abu Dhabi
New Zealand 211 (B B McCullum 76, Saeed Ajmal 4-33) v Pakistan 204 (Mohammad Aamer 73 no)
New Zealand beat Pakistan by 7 runs

New Zealand have won the one-day series against Pakistan 2-1 despite a sensational 103-run partnership from tail-enders Mohammed Aamer and Saeed Ajmal in Abu Dhabi.

The pair combined in the middle with Pakistan in total disarray on 101-9 before taking their team within eight runs of the 212 they required for victory.

Aamer struck a career-best 73 not out and Ajmal made 33 before Jacob Oram (3-20) clinched victory for the Kiwis by dismissing the latter at the start of the final over.

New Zealand had earlier collapsed from 138-2 to 211 all out following a swashbuckling 76 from opener Brendon McCullum.

Reprieve

The wicketkeeper-batsman smashed six fours and three sixes in his 78-ball knock before watching his team-mates subside to a mediocre total.

Ross Taylor (44) at least ensured New Zealand surpassed 200 - off-spinner Ajmal (4-33) and paceman Aamer (2-41) having starred with the ball.

Pakistan received an early reprieve in their chase when opener Khalid Latif was dropped behind the stumps by McCullum off Kyle Mills when on nought.

The opener then drove the same bowler for three consecutive boundaries in his second over before taking his side on to 47-0 in partnership with Salman Butt (25).

Black Caps captain Daniel Vettori was forced to bring himself on in the ninth over - a move which brought immediate reward when he trapped Latif lbw for 19.

From there on Pakistan completely capitulated, Butt and captain Younus Khan departing in successive balls as the ICC World Twenty20 champions crashed from 47-0 to 86-8.

Emphatic

Shoaib Malik fell attempting to pull Mills, while Umar Akmal and the explosive Shahid Afridi both edged through to McCullum.

When Abdul Razzaq was run out, Pakistan had lost their last recognised batsman with 126 still required.

Umar Gul and Aamer then defied New Zealand's bowlers with a painstaking partnership that lasted 60 balls but contributed only 15 runs.

However, a sensational 103-run stand from Aamer and Ajaml - the second highest ODI tenth-wicket partnership of all time - brought Pakistan to the brink of the most unlikely of victories.

Aamer blazed seven fours and three sixes - all of which came during one Vettori over - as he emphatically surpassed his previous best effort of 24 not out.

But, with eight runs required off the final over, Oram struck off the first ball, removing Ajmal to clinch a thrilling series win for New Zealand.

Pak VS Newzland - 2nd ODI

Brendon McCullum's dashing century helped New Zealand square the one-day series with a 64-run victory over Pakistan in Abu Dhabi on Friday.

McCullum hammered 131 to lead the Black Caps to a total of 303-8 at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium after they had opted to bat first.

Pakistan were bowled out for 239 in reply, Scott Styris claiming figures of 3-23.

The result sets up a winner-takes-all decider in the final match of the series at the same venue on Monday.

Rampage

McCullum's second one-day international hundred powered New Zealand to a formidable score.

After being stripped of the vice-captaincy last month and told to concentrate his mind on batting and keeping wicket, McCullum provided the perfect riposte with 131 off 129 balls, including 14 fours and three sixes.

His opening partner Aaron Redmond fell early for six to Mohammed Aamer but Martin Guptill combined with McCullum for a second-wicket partnership of 126.

Guptill hit two sixes and five fours on his way to a 70-ball 62 before departing to Abdul Razzaq (2-60).

Ross Taylor and Styris both failed to provide much support for the rampaging McCullum, Shahid Afridi accounting for Taylor (0) and Younus Khan's direct hit from mid-off running out Styris (9).

The ever-dependable Daniel Vettori weighed in with a timely 30 and Jacob Oram worked the ball around intelligently for a run-a-ball 33 not out.

McCullum's innings was finally brought to an end by Umar Gul (2-59) in the 47th over but Shane Bond's brisk 10 not out eased New Zealand past 300.

Teenage paceman Aamer took the most punishment, recording figures of 1-64 from his 10 overs, while leg-spinner Afridi (2-49) was the most economical.

Styris burst

Pakistan got off to a solid start in reply with opening pair Salman Butt and Khalid Latif putting on 77 in 16.2 overs.

Latif was trapped lbw for 45 by New Zealand skipper Vettori but Pakistan remained in contention as Younus helped Butt add 47 for the second wicket.

However, the introduction of Styris for his first bowl in a one-day international for 13 months turned the match decisively in New Zealand's favour.

The medium pacer struck three times in 10 balls to account for Younus (19), Afridi (0) and Kamran Akmal (4) and reduce Pakistan to 133-4.

That became 134-5 when Butt was run out for 59 after a mix-up with Mohammad Yousuf.

Vettori (2-37) won another lbw verdict to send Yousuf (18) on his way and, despite some resistance further down the order from Shoaib Malik (26) and Razzaq (35), Pakistan were all out for 239 in 47.2 overs.

Pak VS New Zeeland - 1st ODI

Who needs the captaincy when you are in this kind of form? Shahid Afridi's supposed desire to lead Pakistan in ODIs and his rift with captain Younis Khan has dominated the chat in Pakistan since the Champions Trophy, and his all-round performance tonight to dismantle New Zealand - along with the captain's duck - will do nothing to quell further talk. But why burden yourself with leadership hassles when you can turn in the kind of man-mountain performance Afridi did, first resuscitating Pakistan from a disastrous start with the bat and then nearly taking a hat-trick as his side romped home to a 138-run win at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

Afridi's day had begun halfway through Pakistan's innings, when having won the toss, they were making a mess of things. Shane Bond had bowled an opening five-over spell of refreshingly attacking intent, of real cunning, occasional pace and much guile. Each ball he bowled, it seemed, was geared only to take wickets, not save runs. With the rest of Bond's colleagues chipping in, Afridi turned up to find his side limping around at 75 for 4.

Much like a magician he turned it into an ominous 287 for 9 with his innings opening up the floodgates for his lower order, in particular Kamran Akmal, who plundered New Zealand relentlessly at the death. In all, 137 runs came in the last 15 overs and 206 off the last 25, and Afridi was the culprit.

It was a calm hand by his standards, pretty brutal by any other, and the kind of innings Twenty20 has brought out of him. In its entirety it was mature, particularly in the realisation that he need not go at it helter-skelter from the off and that if his forearms are somehow aligned to his brain then mountains can be moved.

Indeed there was nary a miscue or hoick to begin, just urgent nudges and grunted pushes to revive Pakistan's comatose run-rate. Once Khalid Latif, drafted in as opener, pulled a first boundary for nearly 12 overs in the 29th, he freed Afridi's mind. Soon Afridi was dancing out to hoist three sixes in two overs of spin from Daniel Vettori and Nathan McCullum.

The flurry of boundaries is an Afridi trait, but once out of the way he reverted - pleasingly - to taking well-placed singles and doubles, managing the occasional boundary. Shane Bond was muscled over long-off for one such, to bring up his fifty off 37 balls, which was still sedate for him. He went soon after biffing a couple more, but not before, with a tranquil Latif, having revived Pakistan. Latif looked as threatening as a butterfly, without being as pretty, but he stuck around for what was a valuable fifty. And he was at his most effective when Afridi was going for it, simply because he ensured that Afridi got much of the strike.

Akmal, relieved of opening and for Afridi's ballast, gleefully looted runs over the death, putting on 86 with Abdul Razzaq in just over seven overs - driving, scything and squeezing a parade of sixes and fours en route to a stunning 43-ball 67.

The momentum with them, Pakistan's pacemen worked their way through the top order, crippling the chase at the very off. Umar Gul may have been the main beneficiary in terms of wickets, but Mohammad Aamer's opening spell - much older than the 17-year-old body and mind that produced it - was the key. At whippy pace, he gnawed away at both Brendon McCullum and Aaron Redmond over after over, regularly beating them for pace and inward movement and ultimately setting the tone of who was to boss the chase.

Inevitably, though, Afridi had to have the final word. Daniel Vettori and Redmond had gamely kept New Zealand within a sniff, though Redmond's ponderous fifty - unlike Latif's earlier - did not have anyone going crazy enough around it. After an indifferent, hurried first spell, Afridi got the pesky Vettori to drag on an attempted sweep, and with his next ball trapped Nathan McCullum. Another umpire might have even given the hat-trick - incorrect as it may have been - but denying Afridi in this kind of mood took some standing. New Zealand found it beyond them.