DUNEDIN: Pakistan batting was ripped apart by New Zealand bowling in the third ODI in Dunedin on Saturday, as the tourists were bowled out at 74 to hand the hosts a 183-run victory.
Five wickets down at 15, the team barely managed to go past its worst-ever ODI total of 43 (vs West Indies at Cape Town in 1993). New Zealand has now clinched the five-match series 3-0.
Veterans Azhar Ali and Mohammad Hafeez and the young Shadab Khan were all bowled out on a duck. The struggling Babar Azam was run out at 8, while Shoaib Malik managed a cautious 3 before getting out.
Captain Sarfraz Ahmed remained not out at 14. The tail-enders Mohammad Amir and Rumman Raees showed resistance with 14 and 16 runs, respectively, before getting clean bowled by Trent Boult.
Earlier, half-centuries by Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor helped New Zealand to 257 in the face of a sharply improved performance by Pakistan in the field, after New Zealand won the toss and chose to bat first.
With the tourists needing to win to keep the series alive after losing the first two ODIs, they pinned New Zealand down at key times.
In the last eight overs, when New Zealand needed to lift the run rate, they were restricted to 48 runs and lost seven wickets of which 11 runs came in the final over.
Williamson, who uncharacteristically struggled to penetrate the field for much of his innings, made 73 but it took 101 deliveries to get there.
Taylor made 52 off 64 for his 57th ODI half-century, equalling the New Zealand record held by Stephen Fleming and Nathan Astle.
Rumman Raees returned figures of three for 51, Hasan Ali took three for 59 and Shadab Khan took two for 51 with his wickets coming off successive balls.
New Zealand made a flying start with Martin Guptill and Colin Munro cracking sixes for their first scoring shots but the innings stalled soon after.
Munro only faced three balls from Faheem Ashraf in the second over – a six, two and caught behind, and New Zealand were 15 for one after 10 balls.
Tight bowling and a slow outfield restricted New Zealand to 37 for one after 10 overs and the pressure started to show by the 20th over as the run rate remained around four an over.
On the first ball of the next over Williamson wanted to run two on a drive to deep point but Guptill was too slow to respond and was easily run out for 45.
With the introduction of Ross Taylor, playing his 400th innings for New Zealand across all formats, the pace started to quicken.
Williamson was given out leg before wicket to Shoaib Malik on 43 but the decision was overturned on review and he went on to 73 before he was well caught by Mohammad Hafeez on the second takeoff Rumman.
Tom Latham joined Taylor to maintain the pace with New Zealand 195 for three after 40 overs.
But in the 43rd over Taylor was trapped in front by Shadab and wickets fell regularly from there.
Henry Nicholls was caught and bowled off the first ball he faced leaving Mitchell Santner to deny Shadab a hat-trick.
