New Zealand defeats Pakistan 4th T20I; Ben Sears and William O’Rourke shine as the Kiwis take a 2-1 lead

Pakistan vs. New Zealand: In the fourth Twenty20 International match played in Lahore on Thursday, April 25, New Zealand defeated Pakistan by a dramatic four-run margin in a nail-biting contest.

With this victory, New Zealand has established their supremacy on the global stage and seized an unassailable 2-1 lead in the five-match series. After winning the toss, New Zealand chose to bat first and gave Pakistan a difficult goal of 179 runs.

Tim Robinson, the opener, set the tone for the visitors with a brilliant 51 runs off of 36 balls. Dean Foxcroft (34) and skipper Michael Bracewell (27) helped New Zealand to a competitive score of 178/7 in their allocated 20 overs, despite losing wickets often.

Pakistan’s reply had a rough start to their chase after losing early wickets, including skipper Babar Azam for a mere five runs. Pakistan painfully missed the mark despite heroic efforts from Iftikhar Ahmed (23), who made a quick 61 off 45 balls, and Fakhar Zaman (61).

Imad Wasim made a heroic unbeaten 22 off 11 balls, but Pakistan could only muster 174/8 in their 20 overs, allowing New Zealand to win with some effort.

Pakistan’s chase was derailed by the discipline and talent of New Zealand’s bowlers, particularly William O’Rourke and Ben Sears, who took key wickets at critical moments. O’Rourke stood out in particular, completing his four overs with figures of 3/27.

Even though they lost, Pakistan showed remarkable resiliency throughout the game, especially from Fakhar Zaman and Abbas Afridi, who excelled with the ball and claimed three wickets for twenty runs.

With this exciting victory, New Zealand has solidified their dominance in the T20 format, giving Pakistan a mountain to climb in the series’ remaining games. The cricketing world is cheering on New Zealand’s tenacity and skillful play, and excitement is building for their fifth and final Twenty20 International matchup.