Last Update: January 12, 2023, 00:04 IST
Devon Conway’s century helped New Zealand win (AP Photo)
Conway scored 101 and captain Kane Williamson scored 85, after which New Zealand lost nine wickets for 78 runs and were all out for 261 runs in 49.5 overs.
Opener Devon Conway struck a brilliant century as New Zealand sealed a resounding 79-run victory over Pakistan in the second one-day international in Karachi on Wednesday.
The left-hander scored 101 and skipper Kane Williamson made 85 after New Zealand were reduced to nine for 78 and were restricted to 261 in 49.5 overs.
Pakistan lost wickets at regular intervals and despite a 79-run stand from captain Babar Azam, the home side were bowled out for 182 and the three-match series was leveled at 1–1.
Williamson said, “Even though we had a good partnership, maybe 300 was not realistic, but we got to the total in the end.”
“We knew it would be a tough chase. We knew we would have to get a bit out of the surface and the two fast bowlers set the pace for us.”
Pakistan won the first match by six wickets while the third and final match is also in Karachi on Friday.
Pakistan lost opener Fakhar Zaman (0) and Imam-ul-Haq (six) till the fourth over. Azam and Mohammad Rizwan (28) added 55 runs for the third wicket but it was not enough.
Agha Salman made 25 before being run out in a mix-up with Azam, while none of Mohammad Nawaz, Usma Mir or Mohammad Wasim could last long.
Azam hit eight fours and a six in his 114-ball innings before he was stumped off spinner Ish Sodhi in the 43rd over.
Azam said, “We made a good comeback with the bat. But when the spinners came, it was turning fast. Credit goes to them.”
Tim Southee took 2-33 while Sodhi took 2-38 for New Zealand.
Earlier, left-arm spinner Nawaz picked up four wickets to start New Zealand’s slow innings after the visitors elected to bat first after winning the toss.
Nawaz ended with 4-38 as New Zealand slumped from a position of strength from 183-1 to 206-6, losing five wickets for 23 runs in 40 balls.
Pacer Naseem Shah (3-58) dismissed Conway on the last ball of the 30th over to lift New Zealand from a 181-run partnership for the second wicket between Conway and Williamson.
Conway hit 13 fours and a six in his second ODI century in 92 balls.
Nawaz then took three wickets by dismissing both Daryl Mitchell and Tom Latham cheaply in one over, and Williamson was clean bowled in his next over.
Williamson, who was dismissed for 53 and 54 off Wasim, hit 10 fours in his 100-ball innings.
Mitchell Santner, one of only three New Zealand batsmen to reach double figures, was the last to be dismissed for 37.
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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)