CHRISTCHURCH (Daily Point) — Pakistan secured a victory in the final T20I of the five-match series against New Zealand in Christchurch on Sunday, avoiding a whitewash with a 4-1 score. The Green Shirts had faced defeat in the first four games against the Black Caps.

In a remarkable turn of events, part-time offspinner Iftikhar Ahmed delivered a career-best performance, claiming figures of 3-24. The weakened New Zealand batting lineup struggled against the turning ball, resulting in their eighth-lowest T20 total. Only opener Finn Allen (22) and Glenn Phillips (26) managed to surpass 20 runs, as Pakistan’s bowling unit dominated, taking the last eight wickets for 39 runs.

Left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz (2-18) made an impact with the new ball by dismissing Rachin Ravindra and Will Young early on. Shaheen Shah Afridi, in his maiden series as captain, found success at the end, taking 2-20. New Zealand faced the absence of three key batters: Kane Williamson (knee injury), Devon Conway (Covid-19), and Daryl Mitchell (rested).

In the earlier innings, it seemed that New Zealand was on track for a clean sweep as they restricted Pakistan’s batters with disciplined bowling. Seamers Tim Southee, Matt Henry, and Lockie Ferguson, along with spinner Ish Sodhi, each claimed two wickets. Southee (2-19), the leading wicket-taker in T20 cricket, made an impact by dismissing debutant Haseebullah Khan in the opening over and later removing the dangerous Fakhar Zaman in the 13th over.

Despite the challenges, Pakistan’s top-scorer Mohammad Rizwan departed for 38 off 38 balls, resulting in the lowest first-innings score by either team in the series.