Batting first, the Black Caps amassed 185 for seven thanks to a 91-run stand by Martin Guptill and James Franklin while Scott Styris chipped in with a useful 34.
In reply, Mohammad Hafeez gave Pakistan a bright start with his 46 off 30 balls but they were held back brilliantly by Nathan McCullum's figures of four for 16 and eventually ran out of overs.The visitors got off to a flyer, with Abdul Razzaq forcing a caught behind off Jesse Ryder in the game's very first delivery.But fellow opener Guptill and Franklin quickly steered the New Zealand total past 50 inside six overs, the latter doing the honours with a six over deep mid-wicket off Wahab Riaz.
The second-wicket stand was broken by Saeed Ajmal in the 12th over, with Guptill (44) caught at midwicket by skipper Shahid Afridi, who himself removed Franklin (40) five deliveries later.
Styris made 34 off 13 balls, hitting three fours and as many sixes before being caught at deep mid-wicket off Shoaib Akhtar. Peter McGlashan (26) knocked three boundaries and two sixes off Umar Gul but was trapped lbw by Riaz in the penultimate over.
Mohammad Hafeez started Pakistan's chase with a boundary off the first ball, but New Zealand fought back as Kyle Mills clean bowled Afridi for just seven in the second over.
Some rapid strokeplay by Hafeez and Ahmed Shehzad took the visitors to 68, but a quick double blow halted the run flow. First Shehzad (15) was caught by Styris off Ian Butler's bowling, and then a horrific mix-up between the wickets saw Hafeez run out.
With the required run rate ever-climbing, spinner McCullum found Younis Khan's outside edge for a simple caught-behind before bowling debutant Asad Shafiq for six.
And McCullum continued the onslaught snapping up the wickets of Razzaq (14) and Gul (nought) in successive deliveries, followed by Tim Southee's dismissal of Umar Akmal (26) and Riaz (18) in the final over to leave Pakistan hanging on 146 for nine.
The result puts New Zealand 2-0 up with one to play.
Source: ESPNstar.com
Shoaib akhter
