A stunning attack on the New Zealand bowling by Fakhar Zaman, Pakistan’s talismanic left-hand opener, took him to an unbeaten century and powered Pakistan to a 21-run win on the Duckworth-Lewis System in a rain-hit ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 game at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday.
His big hitting was on display as he struck 11 sixes and eight fours while making an unbeaten 126 from just 81 balls. By the time rain interrupted their chase a second time, Pakistan had reached 200 runs in just 25.3 overs. Babar Azam, the captain, made 66 not out (63 balls, six fours, two sixes) in the 194-run stand that earned his team two points from the match.
Even as Pakistan celebrated staying afloat in the race for a semifinal place, New Zealand were left heartbroken after posting 401 for six upon being asked to bat first. They rode on an exhilarating 180-run second-wicket stand between Rachin Ravindra (108, 94 balls, 15 fours, one six) and skipper Kane Willamson (95, 79 balls, 10 fours, two sixes).
Every New Zealand bat punished the Pakistan attack, with Glenn Phillips (41, 25 balls, four fours, two sixes) and Mitchell Santner (26 not out, 17 balls, two sixes) powering the team past the 400-run mark. However, Willamson and his team would have known that the score was just a bit better than competitive on a track that offered no encouragement to the bowlers.
New Zealand’s firepower was admittedly reduced by the absence of quicks like Matt Henry and Lockie Ferguson. It became worse as they did not have the bowler, barring Tim Southee, who could apply the brakes on Pakistan’s second-wicket pair of Fakhar and Babar.
It was only the third time that a team had scored 400-plus runs and yet ended up on the losing side. On March 12, 2006, South Africa hunted down the 435-run target set by Australia in Johannesburg. Then, on December 15, 2009, India stopped Sri Lanka three runs short of their own total of 414 in Rajkot.
However, Saturday was the first time a team which posted 400-plus total were at the receiving end on the Duckworth-Lewis System. On a belter of a track, New Zealand could only applaud the Pakistan charge to victory in a clash which assumed the proportions of a quarterfinal contest.
Pakistan picked four fast bowlers but it was only Mohammed Wasim and off-spinner Iftikhar Ahmed who found the lengths and the variations in pace to keep the New Zealand batters in check. Together, they conceded 115 runs in 18 overs, the only bowlers to have economy rates below 7 runs an over. This was the decisive factor in a high-scoring game that saw 21 sixes.
The first break due to rain came when Pakistan were ahead of New Zealand on the Duckworth-Lewis Method. New Zealand’s prayers for resumption were answered as the umpires decided the ground was ready once it stopped the drizzling, but their bowlers were unable to find a way to prise out even a wicket.
Babar happily played second fiddle to Fakhar, rotating the strike and not minding the fact that he himself went for a long spell without a boundary hit. He was fortunate that New Zealand had chosen to have no slip in place when he edged Trent Boult and celebrated his escape with a wonderful punch to the point fence.
After the rain break, Pakistan had to chase 182 in 19.3 overs with nine wickets in hand. It was Pakistan’s game to lose.
New Zealand will face Sri Lanka and Pakistan will take on England in their respective final league games on November 9 in Bengaluru and on November 11 in Kolkata. New Zealand enjoy a better net run rate than Pakistan and will have their nose in front unless they lose that game to Sri Lanka at the high-scoring venue. Afghanistan could also spoil the plans of these teams by surging ahead.