Pakistan defeats New Zealand by 21 runs, Fakhar Zaman plays heroic knock to keep his team alive.

In a thrilling match, Pakistan secured a 21-run victory over New Zealand on the DLS method, as rain disrupted play twice. The Men in Green, chasing a target of 402 runs in 50 overs, were led by Fakhar Zaman’s exceptional performance. He smashed a dazzling century in just 63 balls, adorned with 9 sixes and 7 fours, putting his team ahead on the DLS method by 10 runs before the first rain delay.

At the time of the initial rain interruption, Babar Azam’s team had reached 161/1 in 21.3 overs. After the rain stopped, the revised target became 342 runs in 41 overs. Pakistan continued their aggressive approach, reaching 200/1 in 25.3 overs before the second rain delay

Fakhar Zaman remained unbeaten with an impressive 126 runs off 81 balls, featuring 11 sixes and 8 fours. Babar Azam also played a significant role with an unbeaten 66 runs off 63 balls, including 6 fours and 2 sixes.

The match had started with Pakistan winning the toss and opting to bowl, but this decision didn’t work out as planned. Rachin Ravindra, in a brilliant display, scored his third century of the ICC World Cup 2023, accumulating 108 runs off 94 balls. Captain Kane Williamson contributed 95 runs off 79 balls, guiding New Zealand to a total of 401/7 in 50 overs.

As a result of this exciting victory, both Pakistan and New Zealand find themselves with 8 points from eight games in the tournament.