Mark Chapman blistering batting helps New Zealand make it 1-1

Mark Chapman-inspired New Zealand team easily defeated Pakistan in the third match to even the series at 1-1. Chapman hit an impressive unbeaten 87 from just 42 deliveries, making the target of 178 set by Pakistan seem easy to reach. New Zealand achieved the victory with 10 balls remaining and 7 wickets in hand.

New Zealand started well with aggressive batting from Tim Seifert and Tim Robinson, only to lose them both within seven deliveries to Abbas Afridi and Naseem Shah, respectively. The situation looked grim for New Zealand at that point, with less experienced players to come and facing a formidable Pakistani bowling arsenal under Babar Azam’s captaincy.

However, Chapman proved his skills weren’t limited to just big hits. He skillfully dismantled the threatening pair of Shadab Khan and Abrar Ahmed. Aware that the target didn’t warrant hasty swinging, he cleverly used the field to his advantage to hit boundaries in three consecutive overs against them. He got lucky when Naseem Shah missed a straightforward catch from a poor sweep shot, which led Chapman to momentarily retreat into a cautious mode during a solitary over from Iftikhar Ahmed.

That bit of luck cost Pakistan heavily. When Iftikhar returned to bowl, Chapman showed no mercy, launching him for an immense six straight back. Chapman’s controlled aggression guided New Zealand closer to the Pakistani score, revealing the flamboyance in his game as well. He was not merely leading New Zealand to the target but also striking a mental blow by overpowering their two leading fast bowlers.

Pakistan was asked to bat on what Babar described as the usual batter-friendly Rawalpindi pitch, quite different from the one on Saturday. However, Pakistan’s strategy to amass a score was confusing, to say the least. Saim Ayub provided a brisk start, typical of his style. Nevertheless, New Zealand bowlers like Zak Foulkes, Ish Sodhi, and Will O’Rourke consistently bowled restrictive overs, disrupting Pakistan’s build-up of runs.

This became more apparent after Ayub’s dismissal when Babar and Mohammad Rizwan paired up just after the powerplay. During the subsequent five overs, New Zealand conceded only 36 runs, blunting the initial thrust from Pakistan. Rizwan struggled to find gaps he usually manipulates during the powerplay. He retired soon after due to a hamstring issue. Babar was also sent back after Bracewell enticed him into making an erroneous stroke.

it was Shadab Khan’s introduction that injected purpose into the innings. By now, the run rate had slipped to 8.07, but a couple of boundaries off his first four balls set the wheels in motion for an innings where he flew to 41 off 20. Alongside Irfan Khan, Pakistan began to blast their way back towards a competitive total.