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The ODI World Cup clash between Pakistan and New Zealand resumed after the rain subsided at the M Chinnaswamy stadium in Bengaluru on November 4, Saturday.
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The persistent rain halted the game when Pakistan's scoreboard read 160/1 after 21.3 overs with Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman intact on the pitch. However, with the clear sky the match started again and Pakistan were handed a revised target. Earlier, the target was 402 but rain hinderance led to the reduction of overs. Now Pakistan have to chase 342 runs in 41 overs.
But the match was halted yet again after four overs of play as the rain arrived yet again to hinder the crunch clash. After 25.3 overs Pakistan are now 200/1 and need 142 more runs in 15.3 overs.
Talking about the match Zaman took New Zealand's bowlers to the cleaners from the start given the massive target, and steadied Pakistan's boat after the early dismissal of Abdullah Shafique in the very second over. Zaman cracked 11 sixes and eight boundaries in his unbeaten 126-run knock. Meanwhile, the star southpaw, who took just 63 balls to notch his ton, clobbered the fastest ODI World CUp hundred by a Pakistani and shattered the record held by Saleem Malik, whose 94-ball century against Sri Lanka in 1987 at Faisalabad was previously the fastest by a Pakistan batter in World Cups. Fakhar also went past Imran Nazir’s record of most sixes in a World Cup innings by a Pakistan player. Nazir had struck eight sixes during his 121-ball 160 against Zimbabwe.
Babar turned the second fiddle with an unbeaten 66 off 63 and stitched an instrumental 194-run partnership with Zaman.
Earlier, New Zealand rode on Kane Williamson's brilliant 95 and Rachin Ravindra's third century of the ongoing ODI World Cup to post a towering total of 401/6. This is only the second time that the 400-run mark has been breached in the ongoing showpiece.
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