Pakistan vs New Zealand 2023

'Zimbabwe k sath series kab hai' - Fans troll Pakistan for not winning a single home series since September 2022

New Zealand drew the five-match T20I series 2-2, dashing Pakistan's hopes of a first home series win since September 2022.

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Akshay
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Pakistan

Pakistan (Source: Twitter)

Pakistan Pakistan (Source: Twitter)

Mark Chapman's maiden T20I century helped New Zealand beat Pakistan by six wickets and level the five-match series 2-2 on Monday, April 25 at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. After losing the first two matches, the inexperienced Kiwi team bounced back and registered their 100th win in T20 cricket. While NZ had a memorable tour, Pakistan had a day to forget, since the hosts had not won a home series since September 2022.

Prior to this T20I series, Pakistan hosted New Zealand and England in four series in different formats. Babar Azam and Co lost the ODI series against the Black Caps 2-1 before a Test series between the two ended 0-0. Pakistan had an embarrassing period hosting England for the T20I and Test series as they lost 4-3 and 3-0 respectively.

The Men in Green have faced severe criticism from fans and cricket pundits for their poor performance in home matches. Although their skipper Babar is in good form with the bat, recent setbacks have prompted many to advise that the right-handed batter give up the leadership role and focus more on batting.

Chapman-Jimmy Neesham partnership leveled the series

Talking about the T20I series against New Zealand, Pakistan won the first match by a massive 88 runs, thanks to Haris Rauf's four wickets. Babar scored a stunning century in the second match to give the hosts another lead. However, New Zealand won the thrilling third T20I by four runs and kept the series alive. The fourth match was called off due to rain and with one match remaining in the series, it was crucial for both teams, but New Zealand had the last laugh as they leveled the series.

Batting first, Pakistan put a competitive total on the board on the back of Mohammad Rizwan's 98 and handy contribution from Iftikhar Ahmed (36) and Imad Wasim (31). With the score at 73-4 in the 10th over, New Zealand appeared to be in trouble while chasing 194. However, Chapman (104*) and Jimmy Neesham (45) combined for an unbeaten 121 runs in 9.3 overs to win the series decider.

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