By defeating the hosts New Zealand by five wickets at the Hagley Oval on Friday to win the Tri-series, Pakistan, thriving on an all-around performance, particularly the pace bowling of young Naseem Shah (2/38) and Haris Rauf (2/22), appears poised to go into the ICC T20 World Cup in Australia with confidence.
Three Pakistani batters — opener Mohammad Rizwan, Mohamad Nawaz, and Haider Ali — struck in the 30s to help their team easily win the match with three balls remaining while chasing 164, which was largely supported by the 59 of New Zealand's captain Kane Williamson.
Williamson showed flashes of his class in the final, slamming a 38-ball 59 after being off-color for the majority of this year in all forms. This was good news for both Pakistan and New Zealand as they prepare for the T20 World Cup.
The Black Caps captain's shots were fluid and came at a strike rate of 155.28. His innings included four boundaries and two sixes. Williamson's promise leading up to the T20 World Cup in Australia will be a huge lift for the team that finished second in the previous event.
Rauf was once again Pakistan's standout ball player. The 28-year-old right-arm pace bowler conceded just 22 runs while taking two wickets, one of which was the dependable Devon Conway. With 12 dot balls, he had a meagre economy of 5.50.
Rauf and Shaheen Shah Afridi, Pakistan's leading speed bowler who will be back in the lineup for both the T20 World Cup warm-up games and the tournament itself, might form a strong combination as the Babar Azam-led team looks to make an impression in Australia.
The scoring rate of Pakistan's batting order has been the main topic of discussion leading up to the championship match. Their middle order has drawn criticism since it heavily depends on the captain and Rizwan to score runs at the top.
Some of these worries were allayed when Pakistan defeated New Zealand in the championship game thanks to the aggressive knocks played by Nawaz, Haider Ali, and Iftikhar Ahmed. Ali scored 31 off 15 while Ahmed hit 25 without being out off 14 as Nawaz scored an undefeated 38 off 22. The trio together struck six sixes, and their efforts to the game will likely relieve many Pakistani fans.
Brief scores: New Zealand 163/7 in 20 overs (Kane Williamson 59; Naseem Shah 2/38, Haris Rauf 2/22 ) lost to Pakistan 168/5 in 19.3 overs (Md Rizwan 34, Md Nawaz 38 n.o., Haider Ali 31, Iftikhar Ahmed 25 n.o.) by five wickets.