Pak vs NZ: Fakhar Zaman joins elite list after majestic 180* to guide hosts to comfortable win in 2nd ODI

Riding on Fakhar Zaman’s majestic 180 not out, Pakistan beat New Zealand by seven wickets in the second ODI, of the five-match series, in Rawalpindi on Saturday (April 29). In pursuit of a mammoth 337, the Men in Green chased down the target without breaking much sweat as the swashbuckling left-hander spearheaded the team’s reply in style. 

Zaman lost opening partner Imam-ul-Haq early but stitched an impressive 135-run stand with captain Babar Azam (65) before an unbroken 119-run partnership with Mohammed Rizwan (54*) to take his side home in 48.2 overs. His inning was laced with 17 fours and 6 sixes at a whopping strike rate of 125. This was his third successive century, after a match-winning 117 in the series opener, and the 33-year-old became only the fourth Pakistani to slam three straight ODI tons.

Pakistan batters to score three successive ODI centuries:

Earlier, Daryl Mitchell’s second successive ton, 129 off 119 balls, led Tom Latham-led New Zealand to a daunting 336-5 in 50 overs. He was well supported by Chad Bowes (51) and skipper Latham (98). However, not creating enough wicket-taking opportunities in the middle overs and dropping Zaman twice led to Kiwis unsuccessful defence of 336/5. 

At the post-match presentation, Player-of-the-Match Zaman said, ” I try to take some time at the start in one-day cricket. Every player works hard on his game at this level. Same with me. If a team like NZ has dropped two catches, have to consider it as my lucky day. Rizwan told me to hang in there, and that he’ll take the risks.”

Meanwhile, Babar opined, “As a captain, it’s very satisfying. Main thing is to be able to read situations. When I went in, we were trying to go six an over, seven an over. It’s one of the best innings I’ve seen. 20-30 runs too many we conceded. But the way Fakhar built his innings, and the partnerships we had one after the other was key.”

The third ODI will take place on May 03 at the National Stadium, Karachi, Karachi. Pakistan lead the series 2-0.