In the first match of the tri-nation ODI series, Glenn Phillips‘s century helped New Zealand set a mammoth target for Pakistan. The match was held at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, where the visitors chose to bat first and scored 330/6 in 50 overs. The impressive score was made possible due to contributions from experienced players Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell, and especially Glenn Phillips.
Glenn Phillips has surpassed 2,500 runs in List A cricket. In 88 matches, he has raced to 2,560 runs at 34-plus. This was his 6th century in List A cricket. He also owns 7 fifties. Glenn Phillips starred with his maiden ODI hundred to power New Zealand to a winning start over the ODI tri-series hosts Pakistan in Lahore.
In an exceptional display of death-overs hitting, Glenn Phillips accelerated from 26 off 38 balls to a 72-ball ton, propelling the visitors to a compelling 330/6 from their 50 overs. While Pakistan were behind the eight ball in the chase, Glenn Phillips also prized out destructive opener Fakhar Zaman to lend Pakistan the fatal blow as they collapsed to 252 in reply.
Pitch Report and Toss
Pitch report : The average score is around 292, looks like a belter. The wicket is not as firm, but the ball might not come on to the bat as well as it could. New ball is going to be the key, got to attack the stumps and bring bowled and lbw into play. The intensity with the new ball is going to be key. Bowlers will have to work hard.
Toss : New Zealand skipper Matt Henry won the toss and chose to bat with three seamers in the playing XI as Ben Sears makes his debut for NZ in the playing XI. Pakistan skipper Mohammed Rizwan bowling first went in with three quicks and one spinner as Fakhar Zaman returned to open in the playing XI.
Glenn Philips destructive maiden century powers NZ to 330 in 50 overs after fifties from Kane Williamson and Daryl Mitchell
New Zealand won the toss and opted to bat on what looked a dry, flat surface at the newly built Gaddafi stadium, but immediately ran into headwinds. Afridi continued his ODI wicket-taking form with one in his first over, inducing Will Young into a prod that got a nick through to the keeper.
The foundation for New Zealand’s winning score was set by half-centurions Daryl Mitchell and Kane Williamson, who joined hands in the eighth over to begin the repair work after losing the openers cheaply. Shaheen Afridi had struck in the opening over itself when Will Young nicked one behind. Abrar Ahmed then held on to a fine, low catch in his follow through to clip the wings of Rachin Ravindra, who made a quick 19-ball 25 with the help of five boundaries.
Not at his fluent best, Williamson had a couple of close shaves early in his innings, including getting a caught behind decision overturned on review. Mitchell, too, survived a run-out scare inside the first hour. However, together they put their side on the recovery path with a 95-run stand for the third wicket. From 60/2 at the drinks break after the 15th over, Mitchell took New Zealand past the 100 mark in the 21st over with a six downtown off Naseem Shah.
With Williamson largely subdued in the opening powerplay, run scoring came largely through a belligerent cameo from Rachin Ravindra. A couple of boundaries off Afridi either side of the wicket set the tone, and he had raced to 25 off 18 deliveries; 20 of them came through fours. But a slightly careless shot off Abrar Ahmed ended a nascently dangerous innings with Ravindra out caught and bowled.
Williamson continued to consolidate, and for a while New Zealand had entered a rut. By the end of the 18th over, their scoring rate had fallen below four, with Mitchell looking labored as he shuffled along, scoring 9 off his first 22 balls.
The escalation came all of a sudden, and primarily through Mitchell, when he charged down the ground to loft Khushdil Shah over the sightscreen for six. Williamson began to come into his own, too as New Zealand began to milk the bowling, with the run rate beginning to tick upwards as the partnership approached three-figures.
But Pakistan were maintaining a hold over the game by picking up regular wickets, and two in five deliveries pegged New Zealand back sharply. Afridi, once more, proved the partnership breaker, another gentle edge from Williamson that Rizwan comfortably pouched. The two-paced nature of the wicket went on to do for Tom Latham, who found the ball stopping on him as he chipped it up to midwicket.
Williamson welcomed back Afridi into the attack with a four to reach his half-century but the bowler had his revenge in his subsequent over when he induced an outside edge for the ‘keeper to break the stubborn stand. Tom Latham had to call for a DRS review on the second ball he faced to get the LBW decision reversed, but Haris Rauf had him caught at midwicket at the other end the very next delivery he faced. Rauf though walked off soon after with an injury scare, leaving Pakistan’s bowling attack compromised.
In Mitchell and Glenn Phillips, though, New Zealand’s two most potent late-overs bludgeoners were at the crease, and they would go on to prove it over the next hour. Mitchell was picking off the Pakistan spinners whenever their lengths dropped short; each of his five sixes came against spin, but it would also be his downfall. A harmless full toss from Abrar was clipped straight into midwicket’s arms, Mitchell’s disbelief writ large on his face as he walked away 19 short of a hundred.
Mitchell’s 61-ball fifty arrived on the other side of the second drinks break, and he smoked a six over deep midwicket off Khushdil Shah to quickly bring up the half-century of his partnership with Glenn Phillips and then another off Abrar to bring up his team’s 200. However, he flicked the very next delivery straight to Khushdil at midwicket to depart for an 84-ball 81.
Despite Mitchell’s counterattacking knock, New Zealand looked to be settling for a middling total when the scoreboard read 208/5 after the 41st over. However, Phillips – batting on 26 off 29 balls then – decided to turn the tables on the hosts.
Michael Bracewell provided the initial push – a four and a six off Khushdil – in the 14-run 42nd over, and Glenn Phillips took over from there on. Salman Agha got hit for a six by each of the two batters and Bracewell smoked his third one over long-off to welcome a returning Afridi. The pacer, though, had his instant revenge to end Bracewell’s fireworks on 31.
But for Pakistan, that was the reprieve before the storm. Glenn Phillips had been sedate until the 42nd over, nudging it around for 29 off 43, but when Salman Agha was pumped back over his head for a six, there were signs he was awakening. Agha was dispatched for another pair of sixes in his following over, but it was when the fast bowlers returned that the beast was truly unleashed.
A nudge off Naseem in the 47th over brought Glenn Phillips his half-century, but he wasn’t nearly done yet. Afridi was launched over deep midwicket and then scooped above short third for consecutive sixes, before Naseem was plundered for 17 in the 49th over. But the worst of the carnage was left for Afridi in the final over, which produced a whopping 25, bringing up Glenn Phillips’ maiden ODI century.
Glenn Phillips reached his fifty off 55 balls, and then took the attack to Afridi and Naseem. He hit as many as five sixes – four of them off Afridi – in the last-three overs alone, making 47 off the 59 runs New Zealand plundered to post a daunting total on the board. Torn apart at death, Pakistan leaked 122 runs in the final-nine overs, of which 80 came from Glenn Phillips’ bat as he finished unbeaten on 106.
Fakhar Zaman’s quickfire 84 runs in vain as Mitchell Santner and Matt Henry’s 3-fers alongside Glenn Philips show on the field powers NZ to 78 runs win over struggling Pakistan
The crowd was at full capacity and full pitch when Pakistan came out to bat, because Babar Azam was opening alongside Fakhar. The noise was for Babar, but it was Fakhar who sprung out of the traps, helping Pakistan to a brisk start in the Powerplay. But Babar’s start to opening – the first time he has done so since 2015 – was inauspicious, flicking a harmless delivery from Michael Bracewell straight into midwicket’s hands.
Pakistan began on a solid note with a fifty opening partnership courtesy of Fakhar Zaman’s aggressive ways. William O’Rourke especially proved expensive, leaking a couple of sixes and as many fours to the Pakistan opener who did the bulk of the damage in the 52-run stand with Babar Azam. The former skipper departed on the final ball of the powerplay as New Zealand switched to spin early and Bracewell provided the much-needed breakthrough.
Kamran Ghulam was similarly turgid, and the pressure fell squarely on Fakhar to produce a mammoth innings if Pakistan were to make headway in the chase. For a while, he offered them hope, taking down Mitchell Santner and Bracewell as he hurtled towards his century, but Ghulam and Rizwan were sent packing at the other end.
Having raced to a brisk 48-ball fifty, Zaman continued to hit those sixes down the ground but Mitchell Santner broke his 51-run partnership with Kamran Ghulam (18 off 32 balls) in his second over. Struggling to rotate the strike effectively, Ghulam tried to break free with an expansive shot and ended up holing out in the deep at the end of the 19th over to give Santner his first.
The death knell for Pakistan was struck by Glenn Phillips in the 24th over when he skidded one on that trapped Fakhar plumb in front. With the asking rate rising above nine and 212 runs still to get, there was little realistic hope the lower-middle order would be able to get Pakistan close. It was reflected in the activity of the crowd, which streamed towards the exits.
Santner struck again two overs later, trapping skipper Mohammad Rizwan LBW for 3 and reducing the hosts to 117/3 in the 23rd over. Rizwan burnt a review on his way back, and so did Zaman in the following over when he was caught plumb in front of the wickets by Glenn Phillips. The collapse of 3 for 16 left Pakistan’s middle and lower order needing 211 more from the 26 overs left.
Tayyab Tahir and Agha tried to keep it going, building up a tidy little partnership, but even moments of brilliance went New Zealand’s way when Bracewell took a stunning catch diving to his right to send a disbelieving Tahir back to the pavilion.
Yet another half-century partnership ensued, between Salman (40 off 51) and Tayyab Tahir (30 off 29), as Pakistan attempted to rebuild amidst conditions assisting spinners. Skipper Santner led from the front with his miserly middle-overs spell, leaving Pakistan with the tall ask of making 179 more at an asking rate of 9.35 in the last 17 overs. And right after the drinks break, Tahir pulled one straight to short midwicket where Bracewell took a sharp catch to help Matt Henry get on the board.
Thereafter, it appeared both sides were going through the motions, New Zealand doing enough to chip away at the lower order. The only bad news for the visitors was what appeared a nasty injury to Ravindra, who lost a ball in the lights as it went on to hit him flush in the face, and went off as blood streamed down his hair.
Yet another half-century partnership ensued, between Salman (40 off 51) and Tayyab Tahir (30 off 29), as Pakistan attempted to rebuild amidst conditions assisting spinners. Skipper Santner led from the front with his miserly middle-overs spell, leaving Pakistan with the tall ask of making 179 more at an asking rate of 9.35 in the last 17 overs. And right after the drinks break, Tahir pulled one straight to short midwicket where Bracewell took a sharp catch to help Matt Henry get on the board.
The game itself was far more straightforward for New Zealand. Khushdil and Agha fell to spin within four balls of each other and, despite an entertaining little cameo from Abrar at the very end, Pakistan were merely delaying the inevitable. Matt Henry bounced out Naseem with 13 balls still to go; they are well placed in this tournament, and, it appears, well placed ahead of the Champions Trophy.
Presentations and Road Ahead
Mitchell Santner the winning skipper said : Glenn’s brilliant knock and his partnership with Bracewell gave us the much-needed momentum. We were looking at something around 280-300 at one point. The Pakistani bowlers bowled really well and it needed a special knock from Glenn to take us to 330. There was a bit of assistance for the spinners and that was nice.
The big wicket of Fakhar helped us to keep chipping away in the middle overs. It looked tough in the powerplay. I guess it’s never easy when Babar and Fakhar are batting together. We were able to put in the squeeze in the middle overs. The conditions in Karachi are a little different and we know how good Pakistan are. (On Bracewell’s catch) He has got very big hands and he made it look simple.
Mohammad Rizwan the losing skipper said : When we lose, it looks difficult only. When we were bowling, the wicket looked a bit difficult. The way Phillips batted was outstanding. When we focus on what we improve on, we need to work on our fielding.
If we play an all-rounder, we can’t expect him to bowl ten overs, he can give us 5-6 overs. (On Haris Rauf’s injury) There’s no confirmation yet but it’s not a serious injury. As a batting unit, we need to analyse the situation and bat. We need to stitch good partnerships when wickets are falling.
Glenn Philips Player of the Match for his breathtaking century and all round skills said : We had a tough little middle period, Pakistani bowlers bowled well. The way Bracewell came in and kicked on was great and I tried to continue the momentum and followed his lead. I love my bowling. That was pretty special, obviously my first hundred and that felt great. We talk about giving our best and to me be able to add as much energy as I can to the team matters.
A blistering onslaught from Glenn Phillips in the final six overs of the first innings helped New Zealand ease to a crushing win over Pakistan in the first ODI of the tri-series in Lahore. The visitors posted 330 thanks to Glenn Phillips’ 72-ball century, with 98 runs coming in the final six overs.
Pakistan could never quite muster a convincing response, with all hopes pinned on a flying start from Fakhar Zaman. However, when Glenn Phillips – who could seemingly do no wrong – trapped him in front for a 69-ball 84, their resistance melted away, and New Zealand’s task became something of a cakewalk. To make Pakistan’s evening worse, Haris Rauf picked up an injury which prevented him from batting, and New Zealand won by 78 runs.
New Zealand’s innings appeared a struggle until the 44th over, with Pakistan taking regular wickets, even if half-centuries from Kane Williamson and Daryl Mitchell kept them ticking along.
On a flat wicket, Pakistan’s bowlers had done a stellar job restricting New Zealand’s scoring rate, with Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah combining for five wickets. So it seemed, anyway, until Phillips let loose, ripping apart Pakistan’s bowlers at the very end. He would score his last 77 runs in 32 balls, as New Zealand took momentum with them into the dinner break.
A clinical display from the Kiwis to register a comprehensive win in the tri-series opener. Fifties from Williamson and Mitchell helped New Zealand’s cause but the real impact came from Glenn Phillips. He was in a different zone today and smashed the Pakistani bowlers to all parts of the ground. The hard-hitting middle-order batter scored a scintillating century to take his side to an above par total on a slightly sluggish surface. The hosts conceded 84 runs off the last 5 overs and that’s where they lost the game.
The fact that Haris Rauf suffered a side strain and couldn’t bowl in the death overs took a toll on Pakistan. In reply, Babar Azam fell cheaply but Fakhar Zaman was going great guns. The southpaw found his range and played some eye-catchy stroke to raise a fifty. Ghulam struggled for rhythm and his dismissal led Pakistan to lose another couple of wickets in quick succession.
Zaman’s dismissal faded away Pakistan’s hopes. Agha and Tahir tried to stabilize things with a 50-run stand but the asking rate kept on rising and the hosts crumbled under pressure. Santner and Bracewell were brilliant as they got the ball to turn and grip and shared five wickets between them. Henry finished things off as he took a 3-fer. There’s concern all around regarding Rachin’s health. He was hit on the face while trying to take a catch. It looked bad but let’s hope it’s not serious.