Mitch Hay’s Career-Best 99 Leads New Zealand to Series Win Over Pakistan*
New Zealand secured a dominant 84-run victory over Pakistan in the second ODI in Hamilton, sealing the series with a commanding performance. Mitch Hay’s career-best unbeaten 99 off 78 balls and a clinical bowling effort from the hosts proved too much for Pakistan, who struggled from the outset.
Despite early trouble at 132/5, Hay’s brilliant innings helped New Zealand reach a challenging total of 292 on a pitch favoring pacers. In reply, Pakistan collapsed to 32/5 early on, making the result inevitable. Though Faheem Ashraf (73 off 80) and concussion substitute Naseem Shah (51 off 44)* put up some resistance, they only managed to reduce the margin of defeat.
New Zealand’s Innings: Mitch Hay’s Masterclass Saves the Day
Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan won the toss and opted to bowl first under overcast conditions on a grassy Seddon Park surface. However, despite movement in the pitch, Pakistan’s new-ball bowlers struggled with control, allowing New Zealand to race to 50 runs in just six overs.
Haris Rauf provided the first breakthrough, dismissing Nick Kelly after a solid 54-run opening stand. Mohammad Wasim Jr, who was surprisingly brought into the attack late, removed debutant Rhys Mariu, shifting momentum in Pakistan’s favor. The introduction of left-arm wrist-spinner Sufiyan Muqeem (2-33) further slowed down New Zealand’s scoring, leading to a mini-collapse.
At 132/5, New Zealand looked in trouble, but Mitch Hay and captain Muhammad Abbas (41 off 66) built a crucial 77-run partnership to stabilize the innings. Muqeem eventually dismissed Abbas, but Hay took charge from there.
In the last 10.1 overs, Hay controlled the innings brilliantly, smartly rotating strike with the lower order. He ensured that New Zealand batted through 50 overs, finishing the innings with a flourish. The final over, bowled by Mohammad Wasim Jr, went for 22 runs, propelling the total to 292/7.
Unfortunately, Hay fell just one run short of a maiden ODI century, but his innings was the game’s defining moment.
Pakistan’s Batting Collapse: New Zealand Bowlers Dominate
Chasing 293, Pakistan had a nightmare start, as their top five batters failed to reach double digits. Ben Sears, Jacob Duffy, and Will O’Rourke wreaked havoc with the new ball, exploiting the seam movement and extra bounce. The batters were frequently beaten, with some even taking painful blows to the body.
At 32/5, Pakistan was in deep trouble. However, Faheem Ashraf and Naseem Shah showed some fight, adding 60 runs for the ninth wicket. Naseem Shah, who came in as a concussion substitute after Haris Rauf was struck on the helmet, played an attacking knock to push Pakistan past 200 runs—a total that had seemed impossible at one point.
Despite their efforts, Pakistan fell well short, bowled out for 208 in 41.2 overs.
New Zealand’s Bowling: Ben Sears Destroys Pakistan’s Batting Order
New Zealand’s bowlers delivered an outstanding performance, with Ben Sears leading the attack with 5-59—his maiden ODI five-wicket haul. Jacob Duffy (3-35) was also lethal, ensuring Pakistan never recovered from their early collapse.
This dominant performance sealed the series for New Zealand, who outplayed Pakistan in all departments.
Brief Scores:
✅ New Zealand – 292/7 in 50 overs (Mitch Hay 99*, Muhammad Abbas 41; Sufiyan Muqeem 2-33)
✅ Pakistan – 208 in 41.2 overs (Faheem Ashraf 73, Naseem Shah 51*; Ben Sears 5-59)
🏆 New Zealand won by 84 runs and sealed the series.
