Despite the absence of key players Lockie Ferguson, Ben Sears, Matt Henry, and Rachin Ravindra due to injuries, New Zealand secured the tri-series title in Karachi, sending a strong message to the hosts just five days before their Champions Trophy opener at the same venue.
With their senior pacers unavailable, Will O’Rourke stepped up impressively, claiming four wickets, while Mitchell Santner led the spin attack to stifle Pakistan’s batting lineup, restricting them to a modest 242.
New Zealand's batters then chased down the target on a tricky surface with ease, sealing victory with 28 balls and five wickets to spare. Devon Conway and Kane Williamson set the foundation with a 71-run stand for the second wicket before Daryl Mitchell took charge. His dynamic stroke play, particularly his variety of sweeps, unsettled Pakistan’s spinners and shifted momentum in New Zealand’s favour.
Mitchell’s 87-run partnership with Tom Latham further underscored the visitors' control before Michael Bracewell and Glenn Phillips finished the job.
Latham, who had been struggling with form—including three consecutive ducks, one of which came against Sri Lanka in Auckland—delivered a timely knock of 56 off 64 balls, reaffirming his place as New Zealand’s first-choice wicketkeeper-batter.
However, he had some lucky escapes. Shaheen Shah Afridi dropped a return catch when Latham was on 15, and Saud Shakeel missed another chance at square leg when he was on 29. Earlier, on 13, he survived an LBW appeal against leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed. Pakistan opted not to review, though ball-tracking later confirmed the delivery would have hit the stumps.
O'Rourke Leads New Zealand’s Bowling Attack
Earlier in the match, New Zealand pacer Will O'Rourke delivered a standout performance, taking 4-43 to restrict Pakistan to 242 in the tri-series final on Friday. He received strong support from spinners Mitchell Santner (2-20) and Michael Bracewell (2-38) as Pakistan were bowled out in 49.3 overs after electing to bat first.
Skipper Mohammad Rizwan top-scored with 46 off 76 balls, while Salman Agha contributed 45 off 65. The slow and inconsistent bounce of the National Stadium pitch made batting difficult.
Pakistan lost opener Fakhar Zaman early for 10, followed by Saud Shakeel for eight, both dismissed by O'Rourke. Babar Azam looked in good touch, reaching 29 with four boundaries and a six. Notably, when he reached 10 runs, he became the joint-fastest batter to score 6,000 runs in ODIs, matching South African legend Hashim Amla in just 123 innings.
However, Azam’s innings was cut short by a miscued shot off Nathan Smith, leaving Pakistan in trouble at 54-3. Rizwan and Agha then steadied the innings with an 88-run partnership, but their dismissals within 19 runs of each other ended any hopes of a big total.
Tayyab Tahir provided some late fireworks with a 33-ball 38, including four boundaries and a six, while Faheem Ashraf (22) and Naseem Shah (19) added 39 valuable runs to push Pakistan past 240.
This final served as a dress rehearsal for the Champions Trophy opener, where Pakistan and New Zealand will face off again at the same venue on Wednesday. With New Zealand’s dominant performance despite injury setbacks, Pakistan need to regroup quickly to avoid another setback in their home conditions.
Bd-Pratidin English/ARK
