Pakistan continued their miraculous recovery at the World Cup with a vital win via the Duckworth-Lewis Stern method in Bengaluru, beating New Zealand by nine wickets in a rain-affected match.
Two major rain interruptions made Pakistan’s chase difficult, but Fakhar Zaman’s stormy century off just 63 balls led to play being halted. was definitely above the DLS minimum.
Chasing a mammoth 402 runs for victory, they reached 200-1 in 25.3 overs when the innings ended early due to the second rain break.
When the second break was called, Pakistan needed 142 runs from 93 balls but persistent rain prevented any further action. The game was called off 15 minutes before 7:40 p.m., further confusing the scoreboard.
Fakhar Zaman wasn’t even in the Pakistan team two games ago but he’s now played an all-time classic World Cup hundred to keep his side’s semi-final hopes alive.#CWC23 pic.twitter.com/FSgRq8Pem8
– Wisden (@WisdenCricket) 4. November 2023
Earlier, New Zealand scored 401 runs in the 2023 World Cup with Rachin Ravindra scoring a triple century and comeback man Kane Williamson scoring 95 runs. Glenn Phillips’ 25-ball 41 and Santner’s 17-ball 26 took them past the 400 mark.
Pakistan, on the other hand, took the lead thanks to Zaman’s quick start. When the final rain break came, Zaman scored 81 to 126 and Babar Azam also calmly scored 63 to 66.
Pakistan could not surpass New Zealand’s net run rate but their recent win, their second after four consecutive losses, moved them to fifth place ahead of Afghanistan. Net run rate is now +0.036.
Pakistan’s next (and last) group stage match is in Kolkata against England, who sit at the bottom of the points table. Before that, New Zealand will play Sri Lanka in Bangalore.
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