1st ODI
New Zealand 315/7
Pakistan 166/6
New Zealand win by 61 runs (D/L method)
A masterful hundred from Kane Williamson and world-class new ball bowling by Tim Southee and Trent Boult saw New Zealand get off to a winning start against Pakistan. They secured a 61-run win on the basis of the DLS method, though in truth, had the match not been cut short by rain, the margin of victory would have been even more decisive.
Any hopes Pakistan might have had of making a fist of a daunting chase were dashed in the first over. Tim Southee trapped Azhar Ali and Babar Azam off successive deliveries to reduce the visitors to 7 for 2. Replays showed that Babar's dismissal would have been overturned on review, but Azhar had unwisely used up the referral when he was dismissed. That one was plumb, which meant, five balls into the chase, Pakistan had lost arguably their two best batsmen and their only review.
Boult was looking sharp from the other end, the only bowler from either side who got the ball to move. He got rid of Mohammad Hafeez with a well-targeted bouncer that the batsman unconvincingly fended away to fine leg. He couldn't have picked out Southee any better if he had walked over and placed the ball in his grateful hands.
New Zealand were surging, and Southee removed Shoaib Malik soon after, before Astle trapped Sarfraz Ahmed lbw as he clumsily tried to sweep. Pakistan were 54 for five, the Champions Trophy winners looking no better than the West Indies side the hosts had hammered over the past few weeks.
Sent in to bat, New Zealand had gotten off to an excellent start, the opening partnership producing 83 as Colin Munro continued his fine form with a 35-ball 58. The scoring rate slowed slightly after his dismissal, but none of Pakistan's bowlers looked particularly incisive as Williamson and Martin Guptill took control of the middle overs. They were masterful at judging Pakistan's levels, quick to capitalise when they dropped even slightly.
On 26, Sarfraz dropped Williamson, a diving chance to his right when he edged Faheem Ashraf behind. The reprieve came at a time when New Zealand were slowly setting themselves up for a total over 300. It left Sarfraz rather red-faced; the Pakistan captain had just given one of his fielders an earful for sloppiness.
But as Guptill began to loosen his arms, Pakistan found a breakthrough in the unlikely form of Fakhar Zaman snaring his first international wicket. Hasan Ali returned to nip a budding partnership between Williamson and Ross Taylor, knocking over the latter's off stump before it got out of hand. Latham lobbed Faheem - who was impressive on a quick pitch - next over, as Pakistan finally began to dominate a passage of play.
However, any thoughts of derailing New Zealand were firmly put to rest by a superb counter-attacking partnership between Williamson and Henry Nicholls. As Williamson approached his hundred, it was Nicholls who took control, manipulating the fielders with clever shotmaking, using both the reverse sweep and scoop to good measure. The running between the wickets, too, was sharp, as Pakistan's tardiness in the field began to show.
Pakistan may be able to get satisfaction from their death bowling, which never really allowed New Zealand to tee off in the final overs. Rumman Raees, expensive in his first spell, returned and bowled far better, confounding the batsmen with changes of pace and other variations, while Mohammad Amir - though not at his best - is not the sort of bowler who goes for big runs often. The last five overs went for 38 runs as Pakistan managed to keep the total from getting too far out of hand.
The only Pakistan player who could emerge from the game with any credit was Fakhar, who had spent the first hour of the chase watching his partners come and go. He tried to take the attack to the bowlers, using his feet to the spin, striking sixes off consecutive Mitchell Santner deliveries and bringing up his 50 in 63 balls. Shadab Khan gave the opener capable support in the face of hostile fast bowling from Lockie Ferguson, who sent the speed gun north of 150 on several occasions. With the intensity from the hosts having dropped slightly, Fakhar and Shadab continued to battle on, putting on 78 before Boult returned to remove Shadab.
Fakhar continued to go for his shots, hurtling towards what could have been a gutsy hundred. Faheem Ashraf was good for a few lusty blows too, but the rain began to get heavier. New Zealand were streets ahead on DLS, the early wickets ensuring they kicked off the tour with a convincing win.
2nd ODI
Pakistan 246/9 (50 ov)
New Zealand 151/2 (23.5/25 ov, target: 151)
New Zealand won by 8 wickets (with 7 balls remaining) (D/L method)
For the second time this series, rain intervened before the match was finished with New Zealand in front. This time, it subsided early enough for further play to be possible, and for Martin Guptill to storm back to form. An explosive innings from the opener - who scored 86 off 71 balls - ensured New Zealand carried a 2-0 lead into into the third ODI at Dunedin with an eight-wicket win.
After a two-hour delay, New Zealand's target was revised from 247 to 151 in 25 overs, with a further 87 required in 11 overs after the resumption. Guptill made it look supremely straightforward, smashing Hasan Ali for consecutive sixes in his first over back. The sixes were hit at will for Guptill - five of them in total - while Ross Taylor provided suitable support. Pakistan fell apart spectacularly in the field, and New Zealand completed the chase with seven balls to spare.
Before the interruption, New Zealand spent much of the game enjoying the upper hand, and barring the salvo of a 49-ball 70 run partnership between Hasan Ali and Shadab Khan, Pakistan couldn't quite lay claim on any passage of play.
Sarfraz Ahmed might have made a different decision at the toss, but that didn't change how the innings panned out. Pakistan, batting first, turned in another limp batting performance. All five regular bowlers chipped in with wickets, and it was left to Pakistan's lower order to respond with a magnificent rearguard action as half-centuries from Hasan and Shadab took Pakistan - once tottering at 141 for 7 - to a more presentable 246.
The surface in Nelson looked dry, and even Kane Williamson admitted he would have much preferred to bat first, but his opening bowlers didn't leave him wistful for too long. Tim Southee and Trent Boult were at the openers straightaway, Azhar Ali and Imam-ul-Haq - in for the injured Fakhar Zaman - struggling against generous early swing. At the same time, Boult was dangerous with the short ball, with Azhar survived a caught behind after a review showed it was in fact his helmet that had grazed the ball on the way through to the keeper.
Boult wasn't to be denied in his next over, though. It was the short ball that brought the breakthrough, as Imam was unable to get on top of the bounce, and the pull shot went straight to Colin Munro at square leg.
Azhar followed him in the next over. Tim Southee got the wicket in almost identical fashion to the first ODI, Azhar falling over to off stump and missing a straight one that thudded into his pads.
Babar Azam played a loose shot unbecoming of the reputation and class to leave Pakistan wobbling at 39 for 3, and it was up to old hands Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Hafeez to regroup. A 45-run partnership provided some hope of a Pakistan revival, as the pair began to rotate the strike regularly and use their feet to the spinners. But just as the momentum was shifting, Malik danced down the wicket and hit one straight to long-on.
Sarfraz and Hafeez were Pakistan's last recognised batsmen, but both fell to indifferent shots. Sarfraz's was shocking, coming down the wicket to a short ball from Todd Astle and getting himself stumped. A few overs later, Hafeez, after compiling 60 classy runs, charged Mitchell Santner in similarly unseemly fashion, only succeeding in chipping to short cover.
The innings looked to be petering out well under 200, and it took a whirlwind partnership between Shadab and No. 9 Hasan to restore some competitiveness to the contest. Hasan took charge in their stand, striking four boundaries and four sixes, beginning his assault with successive sixes off Mitchell Santner. Ferguson struck him with a vicious bouncer around the neck, but he wasn't dissuaded, taking the attack to the quicks as well as New Zealand lost their discipline. Astle went for 21 runs in an over, while Boult bowled two full tosses around waist height - only one of which was called - as the runs began to flow freely.
Southee was smashed for 12 in three balls to bring up a 30-ball fifty, but the bowler dismissed Hasan off the next ball. Shadab continued to attack, as Pakistan took 13 off Southee's final over. Boult wasn't spared either as a gorgeous cover drive off the left-armer brought up Shadab's half-century.
New Zealand started their chase shakily, Mohammad Amir - looking near his fearsome best - forcing a false shot from Munro to send him back for a duck. Williamson and Guptill restored some order, before a superb diving catch at point from Shadab left New Zealand at 47 for 2.
Pakistan may have felt they were right back in the game, before the rain break. By the time the rain subsided, Guptill appeared to be a different batsman, one against whom a lackadaisical Pakistan stood no chance.
3rd ODI
New Zealand 257
Pakistan 74
New Zealand win by 183 runs
They might be the current Champions Trophy holders, but over the last two years, Pakistan have conceded the highest score in the format's history - 444 at Edgbaston. Today, in Dunedin, they came perilously close to posting the lowest ODI score; it was very much on the cards when they reeled at 32 for 8. In a batting performance so listless that even New Zealand appeared to be embarrassed by the ease with which Pakistan's innings crumbled, the home side rubberstamped their superiority by bowling Pakistan out for 74, winning by a mammoth 183 runs.
Any semblance of a contest was blown to pieces by a sensational opening spell from Trent Boult, who made a mockery of the notion that it was a slow pitch on which bounce was difficult to extract. Azhar Ali was the first to fall. Granted a life two balls earlier, when Santner dropped one at cover, Azhar poked at one outside the off stump and gave first slip a straightforward grab.
Trent Boult's early strikes set the template for Pakistan's listless collapse Getty Images
Fakhar Zaman had been trying to cut Boult for much of an innings that was destined to be ephemeral. He eventually dragged on. With Hafeez then edging a catch to Ross Taylor at first slip, the contest was over, but the potential for humiliation had only just begun.
The records began to tumble; only on three other occasions since 2006 had a side made less than ten runs in the first Powerplay (Pakistan made 9 for 3 today); only once before had Pakistan lost six wickets for fewer than the 16 they managed today.
Suddenly, the lowest-ever ODI total - 35 - began to be threatened, as batsmen came - each appearing as clueless, as amateur as the last - and met the same fate.
Pakistan's ineptitude could spawn much cricketing literature, but New Zealand's magnificence is far worthier of attention. After Boult and Southee's brilliance, the change-up bowlers backed them up, their foot never leaving Pakistan's throat. There was excellent fielding to run out Babar Azam, whose bat got stuck in the pitch as he attempted to drag it over - an appropriate metaphor for the rut Pakistan have found themselves in since reaching New Zealand shores.
The captain Kane Williamson, whose "ugly" innings of 73 began to look prettier by the minute, also took a splendid catch, diving to his right to hold on with one hand. Sarfraz, who was forlornly going down with his ship, remained till the bitter end, watching as his partners came and went. Mohammad Amir flashed at a few deliveries, but the defeat was too chastening for any Pakistan fan to draw entertainment out of it.
The contest ended in the only way that was appropriate, Boult returning to clean up Hasan Ali with an excellent yorker to complete his five-wicket haul. It put Pakistan out of their misery, and gave New Zealand the series with two games remaining.
At the start of the game, the pitch had played far slower than most expected. In scrappy, turgid conditions for batting, New Zealand's batsmen showed patience and temperament, stringing together several excellent partnerships to put up 257.
Colin Munro and Martin Guptill began like they usually do, each striking a six within the first eight balls. But it soon became evident that that strategy wouldn't be sustainable.
Munro fell in the second over, having misjudged the pace and bounce of a delivery, lobbing it straight up to Sarfraz.
That brought Williamson and Guptill together, and the run rate came steadily down. It was a difficult surface to get one's eye in, and the two batsmen rotated the strike instead of taking risks, aware of the importance of kicking on from a start. Williamson occasionally used his feet to the fast bowlers - with some success - but timing proved elusive for both batsmen, and the innings was becoming a grind.
When Taylor came in after Guptill's run out, he found it far easier to settle in. He was able to manoeuvre the gaps more effectively than any other batsman, two early boundaries through the covers off Shadab Khan setting the tone of the partnership.
Given the nature of the surface, Pakistan unsurprisingly turned to Shoaib Malik to get through some overs. While he didn't bowl poorly, it meant Pakistan were somewhat anodyne through the middle overs, not looking for wickets as much as they might have done. Williamson survived an lbw shout that was overturned after review, but besides that, New Zealand picked up the scoring rate, with the captain looking much more assured after passing a gritty half-century.
Pakistan were beginning to look desperate for a wicket, and it arrived two balls after the drinks break. Williamson came down the wicket in an attempt to clear mid-off against Raees' bowling, but didn't quite find the timing, and Hafeez held on to peg New Zealand back.
Taylor and Tom Latham built another intelligent partnership, but two in two balls from Shadab triggered a New Zealand collapse that restricted their final total. Taylor was the first to go, uncharacteristically missing a straight, short one from Shadab, and Nicholls was dismissed off a golden duck thanks to a stunning catch by Shadab - not for the first time this series.
From that point on, Pakistan's fast bowlers smelled blood. No one from the lower order was allowed to settle, and a clever mix of length and pace kept the batsmen regularly off-balance. Santner, Astle and Southee could make no real impression, and only a final over rearguard from Boult took his side past 250. That might have felt slightly below par a few hours ago. But the manner of Pakistan's reply rendered any such notions comically redundant.
4th ODI
Pakistan 262/8 (50 ov)
New Zealand 263/5 (45.5/50 ov)
New Zealand won by 5 wickets (with 25 balls remaining)
It was a contest between the sophistication of Pakistan's bowling attack and the raw power of two New Zealand batsmen named Colin. But as with all other games on this tour, it was the home side who emerged victorious, chasing down 263 with five wickets and four overs to spare.
Colin Munro wreaked havoc at the top of the order, while Colin de Grandhomme outdid him towards the end, bludgeoning Pakistan into submission with 74 of 40 balls, just when it looked like they may finally get off the mark this series. Pakistan may take heart from the fact that this was, by some distance, the most competitive game thus far. Equally, however, they will be disappointed not to emerge with a win, having reduced New Zealand to 154 for 5, with just the lower order to bowl at.
New Zealand began the chase in typically brash fashion. Munro attacked the opening bowlers, particularly Hasan Ali, the decision to open the bowling with him backfiring. He was often a touch too short and Munro was excellent punching off the back foot. An example of his front foot play was the six he struck off Mohammad Amir; the ball disappeared over cover.
After leaking 86 runs in 13 overs, Pakistan finally turned to Shadab Khan and things started happening. He deceived Munro in the flight in his first over, and the left-hander was caught at deep midwicket. A googly took care of Martin Guptill, and for the first time, Zealand began to look a little unsure. Rumman Raees exploited that superbly when he trapped Ross Taylor, playing his 200th ODI today, lbw for 1. Tom Latham was caught at slip off Shadab, a victim of extra bounce, and New Zealand were reeling from the loss of four wickets for 11 runs.
The only one thinking clearly in the mayhem was the unflappable Williamson, who set about restoring the innings with Henry Nicholls. The pair bided their time, rotating the strike when they could, and quietly built up a 55-run partnership.
But Haris Sohail struck just as New Zealand crossed 150, snaring Williamson in the most unexpected fashion. Having looked comfortable all innings, a sudden rush of blood prompted him to launch the left-arm spinner into the air. It was agonisingly close to being a six, but Raees positioned himself inches from the boundary, leaned back with both hands over his head and took one of the coolest catches. At the time, it looked the decisive moment.
But out came de Grandhomme, playing his first match since returning from Zimbabwe following the death of his father. Any notions of rust were brushed aside as they took the sledgehammer to a Pakistan attack that had looked impregnable for the previous hour. Haris was the first to feel the allrounder's might, consecutive sixes setting the stage for the astonishing assault that was incoming.
De Grandhomme lifted Amir majestically over midwicket to clear the rope, then Shadab was dispatched over extra cover with an even classier shot. This was no feat of pinch-hitting, it was an extraordinary display of power combined with technique that belied his batting position, reputation and match fitness as he took New Zealand towards their target in delightfully uncomplicated fashion.
Pakistan were shellshocked; there simply wasn't a response coming from them. The errors in the field mounted and the shoulders began to sag. Henry Nicholls brought up an understated but fully-deserved half-century to level the scores, and just like that, Pakistan found themselves 4-0 down.
They might now think back to those familiar problems at the top, which showed no signs of abating on Tuesday. It took fifties from Fakhar Zaman and Haris Sohail, and a late onslaught to spare their blushes. From 130 for 5, a 98-run partnership between Mohammad Hafeez and captain Sarfraz Ahmed prevented their innings from falling apart in the middle overs as they finished with 262. New Zealand put in a disciplined bowling performance and the pick of their bowlers was, surprisingly, Williamson himself, taking two wickets in his 10 overs.
The allrounder Faheem Ashraf, who was sent in to open the batting, fell in the third over, and Babar Azam followed suit. That, though, was when Pakistan's resistance began. Haris - who looked so good one wondered why he wasn't playing the previous three ODIs - and Zaman took the attack to the bowlers. They rode their luck somewhat; Fakhar was dropped early and a top edge carried for six, but the pair applied themselves well, bringing up the fifty partnership in 47 balls.
Santner broke through with a carrom ball Zaman failed to read, and with that partnership ending, normal service seemed to resume. Haris had played beautifully to reach a half-century in his first ODI in three years, but threw it away next ball, driving Williamson straight into deep extra cover's hands.
At 130 for 5, it looked bleak for Pakistan again, but for the second time in the innings, the batsmen dug in. Sarfraz and Hafeez went about rebuilding the innings once more, pacing their fightback quite well, but the pitch began to slow down towards the end, making it difficult to hit the ball cleanly.
New Zealand used seven bowlers during their innings, which meant they had plenty of overs left from their frontline seamers. Trent Boult wasn't quite on the money, and Pakistan cashed in on that, Hafeez picking him up beautifully and, on four occasions, sending him into the stands. Pakistan scored 62 runs in the last five overs - and 22 off Boult's final over - as Hafeez finished with a vital 81 off 80 balls.
It might have been the decisive knock of the game, had de Grandhomme not had other ideas.
5th ODI
New Zealand 271/7 (50 ov)
Pakistan 256 (49/50 ov)
New Zealand won by 15 runs
At five matches, this ODI series may have seemed excessively lengthy, but only because it appeared to have been one interminable match stretched out over a fortnight. It didn't need five games for anyone to find out that Pakistan have serious trouble facing the new ball in conditions that New Zealand offers. But the home side hammered that point home ad nauseam, sealing it with a 15-run win that was more comprehensive than the scorecard suggests, and delivering just their second whitewash in a five-match series.
The chase, as on every other occasion, was effectively over before it began. Matt Henry, coming in for the rested Trent Boult, made full use of his opportunity, taking three wickets in his first four overs. Fakhar Zaman was harassed, hit on the helmet, dropped and finally caught at extra cover. With no movement on offer, Henry bowled a steady off stump line, cleverly waiting for Pakistan's batsmen to make their own mistakes. Ever the gentlemen, they didn't keep him waiting long. Umar Amin and Babar Azam edged behind and Pakistan were reduced to 31 for 3. Azam may still average over 50, but his dismissal on Friday was an act of mercy, releasing him from a series in which he scored 31 runs at 6.20.
Three wickets soon became five, thanks to a pair of sharp catches in the infield, and it was left to Haris Sohail and Shadab Khan to do the face-saving again. They showed the fight they have demonstrated whenever given the chance, putting on a century-partnership without ever really threatening a result. That wasn't their fault - it merely illustrated the extent to which the top order has let the visitors down all series.
Both fell after scoring half-centuries, looking to pick up the scoring rate to meet an ever-rising asking rate. Mohammad Nawaz and Aamer Yamin put on an entertaining little partnership that briefly called the result into question, riding their luck as Pakistan took the game to the penultimate over. However, New Zealand had just enough runs, and had inflicted just enough damage at the top of the innings, to ensure their winning streak - now eight ODIs - remained intact.
Earlier, a 112-run partnership between Martin Guptill and Ross Taylor guided New Zealand through the middle overs and steered them to 271 on a tricky surface. Guptill scored a hundred - the 13th of his ODI career - while Taylor recorded his 58th 50-plus score, surpassing the record for a New Zealand batsman. Run-scoring through the middle overs was harder work than it had seemed in the first ODI at the Basin Reserve, but that could at least partially be put down to a solid bowling performance by Pakistan, complemented by their best day in the field this series. A late implosion from New Zealand, combined by fabulous end-overs bowling, meant the innings fell away after flattering to deceive for most of the first 40 overs.
For a series involving Pakistan, it was surprisingly predictable in some respects. To nobody's surprise, New Zealand, batting first, set about taking advantage of the opening Powerplay. As usual, it was Colin Munro doing the early damage, complemented by the occasional destructively elegant shot from Guptill - a straight six off Rumman Raees the pick of the bunch. Yamin bore the brunt of the aggression but neither opening bowler was spared the heat as New Zealand brought up fifty inside six overs. Munro perished as he had thrived, top-edging Raees while looking to slog across the line, but the platform had been set. Kane Williamson and Guptill built on it, the early onslaught giving them the space and time to construct the partnership at their own pace. Pakistan began to come back into the contest, too, with Shadab and Nawaz bowling tight lines to choke the batsmen.
It might have accounted for the second wicket. With the partnership on 49, the New Zealand captain lifted Yamin into the leg side, looking to clear deep midwicket. Amin took the catch to dismiss Williamson in the strangest of ways. Pakistan took control through the middle overs, the bowlers varying their pace and length adeptly as Taylor and Guptill struggled for timing. The ground fielding improved too, as New Zealand were starved of the singles they usually take for granted, and the run rate dipped below five at the 30-over mark. However, what Pakistan didn't manage was more wickets, and with the duo getting their eye in, New Zealand were gearing up for a big finish.
It didn't quite materialise that way as they fell within a few overs of each other. Colin de Grandhomme couldn't get going with the fluency with which he had devastated Pakistan in Hamilton. Other wickets fell as Pakistan began to strangle the New Zealand middle and lower order; Henry Nicholls was caught in the deep trying to get Raees away, while Faheem Ashraf got rid of Tom Latham as he attempted a scoop. The innings turned sloppy - Mitchell Santner was run out off the first ball he faced, and a total that had looked to push past 300 fizzled out.
As it turned out, though, the ineptitude of Pakistan's top order ensured they wouldn't have to pay for their profligacy.
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