Young Afridi and veteran Taylor prepare New Zealand scenario 209/9

Afridi won four wickets while New Zealand was restricted to 209 © AFP

The arrival of Ross Taylor in the fallen area was unfortunate. The direct drive of George Work deviated by Shaheen Afridi In 21 balls after choosing to fight, the visitors were found at 25 for two.

Giving the company to Taylor was a struggling worker who could not make friends There was also a disciplined attack of the new ball and an excited group of P The Akistani players who were throwing themselves around themselves if it was not effective.

The boundaries were hard to find and the energy on the ground did not allow them to steal singles and two as easily. Taylor did what he usually does. In the shadow of all the action, he kept the dashboard running. This is the nature of his strikes, a reason he has become the most consistent ODI drummer in the last five years after Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers and Rohit Sharma. Unlike the three or those who follow him in the list of the top 10, his game is nothing brilliant. Maybe this has to do with his unimpressive hitting rate of 83 – unfit for modern cricket 50+. He may have traded his once-powerful, one-dimensional game for a more complete game, but he remained paradoxically essential for New Zealand – in the era of "free speech" and subsequent attempts to preserve his aura. Today, it was just another Taylor show par excellence and why he is at the heart of the New Zealand stick.

After the quick retribution of Worker and Tom Latham, respectively by Mohammad Hafeez and Afridi, New Zealand was reduced to 73 for 4 in 16 overs, and set the stage for two non-showmen to keep the ball rolling. engaging act. Henry Nicholls, after a duel in the previous match, played an important supporting role alongside Taylor while New Zealand was trying to extricate himself from a precarious situation with a 75-round alliance for the fifth wicket.

Had not been Nicholls short of patience and unsuccessful attempts against Hasan Ali, New Zealand could have been in a better position. Not to be. He was thrown by the leader during his second spell and soon after, Colin de Grandhomme fell under the same bait for Shadab Khan. A stable platform was left and, with nearly 10 points to get, Taylor was left with the tail company.

Tim Southee and Ish Sodhi launched their bats and added some crucial runs, while Taylor pitched at 120. ball 86 *. This was not the most entertaining of the sleeves, but there was enough maturity. In a rare case where a drummer beat 47 strokes without scoring a century, Taylor's sleeves brought New Zealand to a score of respectability – giving his bowlers a practical total to defend.

While Taylor was working in the shadows, Shaheen Afridi did a great demonstration of fast bowling, confirming the call that made him one of the most promising fast bowlers in the world. He used his pace and variations wisely, running his lines and lengths without making a mistake, and raised four lunatics, while making a crucial shot. The Pakistani captain may have made a mistake in not using all his quota overs, but his fate was, above all, the reason why New Zealand was limited to 209 by 9. [19659008] Brief Scores: New Zealand 209/9 out of 50 points (Ross Taylor 86 *, Henry Nicholls 33, Shaheen Afridi 4-38, Hasan Ali 2-59) against Pakistan .