Christchurch: Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Phillips combined to steer New Zealand to a seven-wicket win over Pakistan in the fourth Twenty20 international in Christchurch on Friday, placing them on the verge of a series clean sweep.
The Black Caps pair scored unbeaten half-centuries in a 139-run stand as the home side reached 159-3 in the 19th over in response to Pakistan’s 158-5.
They were forced to mount a rearguard action after Pakistan captain Shaheen Shah Afridi knocked over New Zealand’s top order, reducing them to 3-20 in the third over.
Mitchell scored 72 off 44 balls and Phillips 70 off 52, accelerating over the closing stages to complete victory with 11 balls to spare, having begun their partnership in a cautious fashion.
Big-hitting allrounder Mitchell said the first priority was seeing off the immediate threat of Afridi, before the pair set themselves targets.
“The way Shaheen swung it up top made it challenging so we had to take it as deep as we could,” Mitchell said.
BRIEF SCORESPakistan 158-5 in 20 overs (M. Rizwan 90 not out, M. Nawaz 21 not out; M. Henry 2-22) v New Zealand 159-3 in 18.1 overs (D. Mitchell 72 not out, G. Phillips 70 not out; S. Afridi 3-34)
Result: New Zealand win by 7 wickets Series: New Zealand lead best-of-five series 4-0
New Zealand's Daryl Mitchell bats during the fourth Twenty20 international cricket match between New Zealand and Pakistan at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on January 19, 2024. (Photo by Sanka Vidanagama / AFP)
