END OF OVER:20 | 14 Runs | NZ: 146/6 (3 runs required, RR: 7.30)
- Ross Taylor42 (26b)
- Tim Southee5 (2b)
- Shaheen Shah Afridi3-0-29-0
- Hasan Ali4-0-35-3
That's it from us for tonight, folks. Hope you enjoyed our company. It's a good time for me Shashank to say goodbye on behalf of Akshay and Debayan. Stay locked to ESPNcricinfo for everything cricket. We're happy to hear. You can connect with us on facebook or tweet at @ESPNcricinfo. Cheers, hope to see you on November 2 for the second T20I.
Kane Williamson isn't too dissatisfied with the result. "Weren't far away, thought we were quite good for large parts," he says with a smile. Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed credits his bowlers for bringing his side back. Hafeez felt Pakistan were at least 15 short with the bat. "Asif Ali was brought up because we thought he has the shots to take the attack," he says. "They're a tough team, but we knew overs 6-12 were crucial and we had to restrict them there. I thought Shaheen and Hasan were superb."
Mohammad Hafeez is the Player of the Match for his 45 and three miserly overs.
11.30pm It isn't often you can call a series against Australia an appetiser, but one T20I against New Zealand has shown there is little doubt this will be the main course of Pakistan's home season. Pakistan swarmed all over Australia in both the Test and T20I series, but the little brothers in that trans-Tasman relationship look unlikely to be pushed over that easily.
New Zealand will rue that middle overs period against spin where they could manage just 16 off four overs after the openers set them up quite magnificently. They'll look back at the timing of Colin Munro's dismissal as one of the turning points. That said, they'll be mighty proud of the way they've competed to run Pakistan close. They'll have two more cracks at getting things right. If tonight's a glimpse of what is to come, we should be in for a super exciting series. How crucial were those 10 runs off the last two balls by Imad Wasim?
Shahab: "40 overs of cricket and it was all down to the last ball in each innings, 6 for Pakistan, 4 for NZ."
Irshad: "How cool was that last over. Another impressive left armer from Pakistan.. Everytime I see Shoaib Malik field, bat or bowl.. I can't help but wonder, How cool is that.."
Hamza: "Shaheen Shah saved the game but still looked unhappy as he moved his head even after victory. Promising behavior of improvement"
The prayers have begun.
Excellent execution under pressure from Shaheen
The most NZ have got in a final over to win is 15 v Zimbabwe. If they score these 12, it'll be a new high for them
Sixer Southee on strike with New Zealand needing 16 off five.
END OF OVER:19 | 9 Runs 2 Wkts | NZ: 132/6 (17 runs required from 6 balls, RR: 6.94, RRR: 17.00)
- Ross Taylor33 (22b)
- Hasan Ali4-0-35-3
- Shaheen Shah Afridi2-0-15-0
TL Seifert b Hasan Ali 0 (1b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0.00
Will Seifert look to go hell or high water? Just has to swing, look for a boundary. Doesn't matter if he gets out. At least Taylor will be on strike
Nadeem: "Why would you not bowl out Hafeez? mind boggling captaincy from Sarfraz"
Get the feeling that it's Taylor v Pakistan now. Seifert is the new man in, the wicketkeeper who has a best of 14. How they'd like those many runs tonight
CJ Anderson c Shoaib Malik b Hasan Ali 9 (12b 0x4 0x6) SR: 75.00
END OF OVER:18 | 11 Runs | NZ: 123/4 (26 runs required from 12 balls, RR: 6.83, RRR: 13.00)
- Corey Anderson9 (11b)
- Ross Taylor24 (18b)
- Shaheen Shah Afridi2-0-15-0
- Hasan Ali3-0-26-1
26 needed off the last two.
Shaheen Afridi to bowl now. He'll come from around the stumps
END OF OVER:17 | 9 Runs | NZ: 112/4 (37 runs required from 18 balls, RR: 6.58, RRR: 12.33)
- Ross Taylor16 (14b)
- Corey Anderson8 (9b)
- Hasan Ali3-0-26-1
- Shadab Khan4-0-26-1