Cricket: Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips' record partnership sees Blackcaps to fourth straight Twenty20 victory over Pakistan

Post At: Jan 19/2024 06:20PM

The Blackcaps are one win away from a Twenty20 International series whitewash against Pakistan, after going 4-0 up with a seven-wicket victory at Christchurch's Hagley Oval.

Set 159 for victory, the Blackcaps were in serious trouble at 20/3, only for a record unbeaten partnership of 139 between Glenn Phillips (70 not out) and Daryl Mitchell (72 not out) keep Pakistan winless on their tour of New Zealand.

Pakistan captain Shaheen Shah Afridi (3/34) did his best to see his side end their losing run, but was backed up by neither his fielders, nor his bowlers, as Mitchell and Phillips timed their chase to perfection. 

The stand eclipses the 124 set by Kane Williamson and Corey Anderson against Bangladesh at Mt Maunganui's Bay Oval in 2017.

Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Phillips added a record partnership for the fourth wicket. Photo credit: Photosport

The victory was all the more satisfying for the Blackcaps, after being forced into a late reshuffle when Devon Conway tested positive for COVID-19.

And even without captain Williamson, and a failure with the bat for Finn Allen, the fourth-wicket pair had more than enough to rescue another victory, with 11 balls up their sleeve.  

After winning his first toss of the series, Mitchell Santner's decision to bowl saw the Blackcaps restrict Pakistan to 158/5, a total that could have been worse were it not for an unbeaten 90 to wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan.

With the ball, Matt Henry was exceptional in taking 2/22 from his four over spell, while Lockie Ferguson returned 2/27.

Bowling on his home ground, Henry struck with his fifth ball to remove Saim Ayub, thanks to a juggling act at first slip from Daryl Mitchell.

But despite the early loss, Pakistan's senior pair of Rizwan and Babar Azam made sure the tourists didn't stutter, and added a 50-run stand in only 29 balls.

The Blackcaps struck back through Adam Milne - celebrating his 50th T20 International more than 13 years after his first - when he bounced out Babar, caught for 19 by Glenn Phillips at deep midwicket.  

After Pakistan scored 51 runs in the opening six-over powerplay, the Blackcaps applied the squeeze with the ball once the field spread, as the tourists scored just 20 runs in the next 24 balls to be 71/2 at the halfway point.

Rizwan batted on, and reached his half-century in 38 balls, but lost Fakhar Zaman for a pained nine from 15 balls, when he found Mark Chapman off the bowling of Ferguson at 83/3.

Glenn Phillips made an unbeaten 70 in New Zealand's win. Photo credit: Photosport

Ferguson had a second four balls later, when he bounced out Sahibzada Farhan for one, courtesy of an excellent running catch from Phillips.  

Despite a run that saw Pakistan go 7.4 overs without hitting a boundary, Rizwan attacked inside the final overs, but continued without a foil at the other end.

Iftikhar Ahmed limped to 10 from 14 balls, before he was caught at extra cover by Tim Southee.

In danger of seeing the innings peter out, Mohammad Nawaz arrived at the crease and hit 21 off the penultimate over, bowled by Milne to bring up Pakistan's 150.

But with a century in sight, Rizwan was left stranded in the 90s, as Southee limited the damage to just six runs in the final over, to give the Blackcaps a target of 159 for victory.  

Fresh from a record-breaking century in Dunedin, Finn Allen looked to have gotten New Zealand's chase off to the perfect start by hitting two boundaries in his first three balls - only to fall for eight on his fourth when he was caught at point of Afridi.

Afridi had a second to end the first over, as Tim Seifert perished for a golden duck when he chipped a catch to Babar at mid-on.  

New Zealand's top order demolition was complete 10 balls later, as Will Young pulled straight to Nawaz at midwicket to give Afridi his third, and leave the Blackcaps' chase in trouble at 20/3.

Phillips weathered an early knock to the head, as he and Mitchell added a 50-run stand in 44 balls to take New Zealand to 70/3 at the halfway stage.  

In the 14th over, and with the required run rate increasing, Phillips cleared the ropes for the first time to take the Kiwi score over 100, and raised a 41-ball half-century one delivery later.

In the same over, Pakistan missed the chance to dismiss Mitchell for 35, when he was dropped by Farhan on the long-on boundary.  

Entering the final five overs, as the Blackcaps needed 45 for victory, Mitchell raised both his own fifty, and the century partnership between himself and Phillips, with a vicious pull shot over fine leg off Afridi.

Phillips eased pressure on the required rate even further, this time by pulling a Haris Rauf slower ball into the stands for six more, before Mitchell lofted another boundary back over the bowler's head in the same over.  

An over later, Phillips all but sealed the win by clearing the cover boundary, this time off Zaman Khan, and took the equation to less than a run a ball for victory.

Mitchell cleared long-on in the same over, and took the target down to single figures, before sealing the win in the next over with a pulled boundary off Haris.  

Both teams will return to the same venue on Sunday, where the Blackcaps can seal a comprehensive 5-0 whitewash.  

Pakistan 158/5 (Rizwan 90 not out; Henry 2/22, Ferguson 2/27) 
New Zealand 159/3 (Mitchell 72 not out, Phillips 70 not out; Shaheen 3/34)

New Zealand win by seven wickets

The Blackcaps are one win away from a Twenty20 International series whitewash against Pakistan, after going 4-0 up with a seven-wicket victory at Christchurch's Hagley Oval.

Set 159 for victory, the Blackcaps were in serious trouble at 20/3, only for a record unbeaten partnership of 139 between Glenn Phillips (70 not out) and Daryl Mitchell (72 not out) keep Pakistan winless on their tour of New Zealand.

Pakistan captain Shaheen Shah Afridi (3/34) did his best to see his side end their losing run, but was backed up by neither his fielders, nor his bowlers, as Mitchell and Phillips timed their chase to perfection. 

The stand eclipses the 124 set by Kane Williamson and Corey Anderson against Bangladesh at Mt Maunganui's Bay Oval in 2017.

The victory was all the more satisfying for the Blackcaps, after being forced into a late reshuffle when Devon Conway tested positive for COVID-19.

And even without captain Williamson, and a failure with the bat for Finn Allen, the fourth-wicket pair had more than enough to rescue another victory, with 11 balls up their sleeve.  

After winning his first toss of the series, Mitchell Santner's decision to bowl saw the Blackcaps restrict Pakistan to 158/5, a total that could have been worse were it not for an unbeaten 90 to wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan.

With the ball, Matt Henry was exceptional in taking 2/22 from his four over spell, while Lockie Ferguson returned 2/27.

Bowling on his home ground, Henry struck with his fifth ball to remove Saim Ayub, thanks to a juggling act at first slip from Daryl Mitchell.

But despite the early loss, Pakistan's senior pair of Rizwan and Babar Azam made sure the tourists didn't stutter, and added a 50-run stand in only 29 balls.

The Blackcaps struck back through Adam Milne - celebrating his 50th T20 International more than 13 years after his first - when he bounced out Babar, caught for 19 by Glenn Phillips at deep midwicket.  

After Pakistan scored 51 runs in the opening six-over powerplay, the Blackcaps applied the squeeze with the ball once the field spread, as the tourists scored just 20 runs in the next 24 balls to be 71/2 at the halfway point.

Rizwan batted on, and reached his half-century in 38 balls, but lost Fakhar Zaman for a pained nine from 15 balls, when he found Mark Chapman off the bowling of Ferguson at 83/3.

Ferguson had a second four balls later, when he bounced out Sahibzada Farhan for one, courtesy of an excellent running catch from Phillips.  

Despite a run that saw Pakistan go 7.4 overs without hitting a boundary, Rizwan attacked inside the final overs, but continued without a foil at the other end.

Iftikhar Ahmed limped to 10 from 14 balls, before he was caught at extra cover by Tim Southee.

In danger of seeing the innings peter out, Mohammad Nawaz arrived at the crease and hit 21 off the penultimate over, bowled by Milne to bring up Pakistan's 150.

But with a century in sight, Rizwan was left stranded in the 90s, as Southee limited the damage to just six runs in the final over, to give the Blackcaps a target of 159 for victory.  

Fresh from a record-breaking century in Dunedin, Finn Allen looked to have gotten New Zealand's chase off to the perfect start by hitting two boundaries in his first three balls - only to fall for eight on his fourth when he was caught at point of Afridi.

Afridi had a second to end the first over, as Tim Seifert perished for a golden duck when he chipped a catch to Babar at mid-on.  

New Zealand's top order demolition was complete 10 balls later, as Will Young pulled straight to Nawaz at midwicket to give Afridi his third, and leave the Blackcaps' chase in trouble at 20/3.

Phillips weathered an early knock to the head, as he and Mitchell added a 50-run stand in 44 balls to take New Zealand to 70/3 at the halfway stage.  

In the 14th over, and with the required run rate increasing, Phillips cleared the ropes for the first time to take the Kiwi score over 100, and raised a 41-ball half-century one delivery later.

In the same over, Pakistan missed the chance to dismiss Mitchell for 35, when he was dropped by Farhan on the long-on boundary.  

Entering the final five overs, as the Blackcaps needed 45 for victory, Mitchell raised both his own fifty, and the century partnership between himself and Phillips, with a vicious pull shot over fine leg off Afridi.

Phillips eased pressure on the required rate even further, this time by pulling a Haris Rauf slower ball into the stands for six more, before Mitchell lofted another boundary back over the bowler's head in the same over.  

An over later, Phillips all but sealed the win by clearing the cover boundary, this time off Zaman Khan, and took the equation to less than a run a ball for victory.

Mitchell cleared long-on in the same over, and took the target down to single figures, before sealing the win in the next over with a pulled boundary off Haris.  

Both teams will return to the same venue on Sunday, where the Blackcaps can seal a comprehensive 5-0 whitewash.  

Pakistan 158/5 (Rizwan 90 not out; Henry 2/22, Ferguson 2/27) 
New Zealand 159/3 (Mitchell 72 not out, Phillips 70 not out; Shaheen 3/34)

New Zealand win by seven wickets

Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.

Tags: