New Zealand vs Pakistan: Sunlight Stops Play in Napier, Again

There are several ways that an international match can get interrupted. It could be rain delay, it could be an injury...But the third and final T20 match between Pakistan and New Zealand was stopped because of sunlight. Yes, the game was halted for five minutes in the New Zealand's innings. The hosts batted first and the match got interrupted in the 12th over. Interestingly, this is not the first time that an international match was hampered because of sunlight at Mclean Park in Napier.

Also read: New Zealand vs Pakistan: Mohammad Rizwan-Inspired Pakistan Avert Clean Sweep

Last year during an ODI between New Zealand and India, play was stopped for 30 minutes for the same reason while a T20I between the Kiwis and Bangladesh was also stopped due to sunlight back in 2017.

Later Pakistan beat New Zealand in the third and final T20 International to avert a clean sweep. Mohammad Rizwan celebrated his elevation to the Pakistan Test captaincy in style Tuesday, smashing a career-best 89 to stop New Zealand claiming a series sweep in the third Twenty20 in Napier. Pakistan reached New Zealand's target of 174 with two balls to spare, ending on 177 after Iftikhar Ahmed sealed the win with a six in the final over.

Also read: New Zealand's Mitchell Santner Urged To Be More Attacking If Given Test Nod Against Pakistan

But it was Rizwan's 89 from 59 balls, with support from 41-run Mohammad Hafeez, that inspired the victory. It was a hard-fought win for the tourists, who suffered heavy defeats in the two opening matches after a rocky preparation that included Covid-19 quarantine in Christchurch with no training.

The win was particularly sweet for Rizwan, who was named on Monday as captain for the first Test against New Zealand starting December 26 after regular skipper Babar Azam was ruled out with a broken thumb. "I never thought I'd be made the captain of Pakistan and I can't explain my happiness," he said after his man-of-the-match T20 performance.

Rizwan said the T20 victory was an important morale booster ahead of the two-Test series against the Black Caps."We want to take momentum from this into the Test match, so this is very important for us," he said. After two losses when batting first, Pakistan changed tactics and opted to bowl when they won the toss, restricting New Zealand to 173 for seven, with Devon Conway top-scoring on 63.

Faheem Ashraf was the pick of the Pakistan attack, taking three for 20. The strategy of chasing down New Zealand's total paid off as Rizwan and Hafeez forged a 72-run partnership that laid the foundation for the win. Hafeez, who was stranded on 99 in Hamilton, made 41 from 29 balls including three sixes. Rizwan's innings, the sixth-highest by a Pakistan batsman in T20s, included a booming six that bounced off the roof of a stand and out of the ground, forcing the umpires to select a replacement ball.

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