In the third T20 international in Lahore on Monday, New Zealand claimed a dramatic four-run victory over Pakistan, thanks to James Neesham’s nerves of steel in the final over. Despite Iftikhar Ahmed’s outstanding innings of 60 runs off just 24 balls that brought Pakistan back into the game, they failed to chase down New Zealand’s 163-5 from 88-7.
Ahmed scored a six and a four to bring down the required total to five runs from the final three deliveries of Neesham’s final over, which had a 15-run winning margin. However, Neesham got Ahmed caught by Daryl Mitchell at long-on and then dismissed the last man Haris Rauf in the same fashion after a dot ball.
After the match, visiting captain Tom Latham said, “It was a great game, and it’s satisfying to get across the line and keep the series alive. This game will give the entire team a lot of trust going forward. We pride ourselves on our fielding and set the bar high every time we step into the middle. The three early wickets in the powerplay set us up.”
