Pakistan No.1 T20I Ranking series win against New Zealand

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Finally some respite for the Pakistani fans as Sarfraz XI clinch the T20 series by 2-1 after complete performance in the series decider also reclaiming their number one spot in ICC Rankings.
Another amazing performance from Pakistan both with bat and didn't let the Kiwis bag another series. First a classy finish with the bat and then the bowlers bowled well, Pakistan overpowered Williamson XI by 18 runs in the final clash of the series. The shouts of Pakistan Zindabad were finally loud when Pakistan completed their series victory after a shameful results in ODIs.

Toss and Pitch:

Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat first on a pitch which looked to offer plenty of runs on a relatively bigger field in Mount Mounganui.
Pakistan had to leave out Hassan Ali due to injury while New Zealand made four changes bringing in Anaru Kitchen, Ross Taylor, Tom Blundel and Tim Southee.

First Innings:

Openers Ahmad Shahzad and Fakhar Zaman once again looked like providing the same start as they did in the previous game however despite some brilliant strockes Ahmad got frustrated and lost this wicket in a silly manner, looking to scoop in past the third man.
Babar Azam continued from where he left off at Eden Park, adding 36 runs in a partnership with Fakhar Zaman before ge fell to Ish Sodhi trying to cut the ball. Sarfraz move to bat up the order at number 4 which kept up in the last game worked well this time also well.
Fakhar and Sarfraz kept up with the scoring rate before Fakhar holed out to deep cover. It was a conrosial catch but the soft signal ruling by the on field umpire made sure he didn't get the benefit of the doubt. Sarfraz scored 29 before Santner sent him back to the pavilion.
The left handed duo of Haris Sohail and Umar Amin played very well, with Umar smashing three sixes for his 21 just 7 balls. A late charge from Pakistan helped them score 109 in the last 10 overs, finishing at a very challenging 181-6.
Mitchel Santner ended up with figures of 2-24 in his 4 overs while Sodhi also took 2 conceding 47runs. The Kiwis were poor in the field dropping a few catches despite their reputation for being an impeccable fielding unit.

Via Cricinfo

Second Innings:

Chasing 182 runs New Zealand were cautious from the start, thanks to some tight bowling from Pakistan opening bowlers. Williamson was not allowed to score freely which ultimately led to his downfall.
Kitchen and Guptill took the chanllenge of upping the ante smashing the bowlers around the vast field.
A double strike from Shadab removing Guptill and Kitchen dented the hosts prospects of chasing down the target. Guptill got out after a fiery half century which included 4 sixes and 2 fours.
With 87/3 New Zealand were hoping for carnage from d Grandhomme but Aamer Yamin had down other plans, rattling the stumps of the explosive all rounder._
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At 4-89 New Zealand were reeling relying heavily on their most experienced player Ross Taylor. Having hit three sixes in just 10balls Taylor looked like taking the game closer than expected but the experience of Muhammad Amir won the battle against Taylor Thanks to a surprising review from Captain Sarfraz and bowler. The original decision of not out was reversed judging the player caught behind.
Tom Bruce got cleaned up soon after. from there onward it was an uphill task for the lower order of the hosts who ultimately fell short of the target by 18 runs.
Muhammad Amir, Aamer Yamin and Shadab Khan were outstanding restricting the flow of boundaries and getting wickets to tie down the hosts.

Via Cricinfo

Awards:

Shadab Khan away with Man of the Match award while Muhammad Amir was judged the Man of the Series.