Lahore [Pakistan], February 8 : Batting all-rounder Glenn Phillips' blitzkrieg knock powered New Zealand to clinch a 78-run victory over Pakistan in the first match of the ODI Tri-Series at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Saturday.
With the dominant victory, the Kiwis took a lead in the ODI Tri-Series standings and secured the top spot with two points with a net run rate of +1.560.
New Zealand won the toss and opted to bat against Pakistan on Saturday. Skipper Mitchell Santner's decision went in favour of the Kiwis as they put up a solid score on the board in the first inning.
New Zealand openers Will Young (4 runs from 4 balls, 1 four) and Rachin Ravindra (25 runs from 19 balls, 5 fours) failed to shine in the game, however, that didn't affect New Zealand because the top performance from the middle order batters.
Kane Williamson (58 runs from 89 balls, 7 fours) and Daryl Mitchell (81 runs from 84 balls, 2 fours and 4 sixes) played a crucial part in the game. The 95-run partnership from Williamson and Mitchell helped the Kiwis to get back into the game after the dismissals of their openers.
After Mitchell and Williamson were removed from the crease, it was Glenn Phillips (106* runs from 74 balls, 6 fours and 7 sixes) who shined in the game and added some crucial runs on the board with his unbeaten knock on Saturday in Lahore.
Phillips and Mitchell Santner (8* runs from 5 balls, 1 four) were unbeaten on the crease and propelled New Zealand to 330/6 in the first inning.
Shaheen Afridi led the Men in Green bowling attack with his three-wicket haul. Abrar Ahmed also bagged two wickets and gave 41 runs in his 10-over spell.
During the run chase, opener Fakhar Zaman (84 runs from 69 balls, 7 fours and 4 sixes) gave a kickstart to the hosts but the Men in Green failed to continue the show as they struggled infront of the Kiwi bowling attack.
Apart from Zaman, Salman Agha (40 runs from 51 balls, 2 fours and 1 six) played an important knock but later in the inning, he was removed by Michael Bracewell.
Ahead of the Champions Trophy 2025, Pakistan need to rethink their batting lineup following the poor performances of Babar Azam (10 runs from 23 balls, 1 four) and Mohammad Rizwan (3 runs from 11 balls).
Matt Henry and Mitchell Santner led the New Zealand bowling attack with their three-wicket hauls. Michael Bracewell also picked up two wickets. Glenn Phillips took one wicket in his three-over spell. With the stupendous performance in the second inning, the Men in Green were bundled out at 252 in the 48th over.
Glenn Phillips was named 'Player of the Match' following the fiery knock with the bat.
Brief score: New Zealand 330/6 (Glenn Phillips 106*, Daryl Mitchell 81, Kane Williamson 58; Shaheen Afridi 3/88) beat Pakistan 252 (Fakhar Zaman 84, Salman Agha 40, Tayyab Tahir 30; Mitchell Santner 3/41).