New Zealand vs Pakistan, 1st ODI at Napier, NZ vs PAK, Mar 29 2025 - Match Result

Thank you for your company during this run-fest. See you on Wednesday for the all-important second ODI. For now, this is Rvel Zahid saying goodbye on behalf of Danyal Rasool and Sudeep Poojar. Ciao!

Openers got decent starts and the asking rate was not an issue as Pakistan kept the scoreboard pressure at bay. Babar played a fantastic hand and Rizwan contributed with 30. From thereon, Salman continued cashing in on his hot form and played an array of delightful strokes. But once Babar was dismissed, there was panic. Irfan went without troubling the scorers, Tayyab got run out early in the piece and suddenly the advantage was squandered. Earlier, Pakistan started off well with the new ball and kept the batters on a leash but then Chapman and Mitchell played quintessential ODI knocks, battling the tough phase when the ball was moving a lot and then dominating towards the end. Pakistan didn't have a proper fifth bowling option and New Zealand made sure to make them regret that tactical error. Abbas had a dream debut, first lighting up the ground with his stunning power hitting and then being handy with the ball as well. Pakistan would rue the mistake of not having a safety net in their bowling attack and then losing the plot during the chase - which has become a familiar tale - once they were cruising with Babar and Salman batting beautifully. Will Pakistan make amends in the all-important second ODI or will New Zealand continue their dominance at home? We'll find out in a couple of days time.

Mark Chapman, Player of the Match: Certainly very tricky early on, probably aiming for something low from what we got in the end...We were just trying to absorb pressure and got into a position to put pressure back on them. We rode our luck, got a platform and then Abbas put the icing on the cake; was a solid innings. Felt like the ball was moving around for pretty long time but the conditions got better later. Little bit of a hamstring twitch which is not ideal but hopefully some rest and I should be back for the next game

Mohammad Rizwan, Pakistan Captain: The way we started second innings, we went with good intent. When you are near the chase, pressure increases, three-four overs changed the momentum. Pitch was not good early on, difficult to bat on...Chapman played fantastically and put good runs. We need to improve more and take benefit of the toss. We had some new guys in the middle order and it's difficult because they are playing in challenging conditions

Michael Bracewell, New Zealand Captain: I think it was a great game of ODI cricket, lots of ebbs and flows. You can apply some T20 skills that the young players are learning quickly. It's great to see ODI cricket still alive I guess. (on bowling main quicks early on) You just try use your resources as best as you can, fortunately it paid off. You roll the dice and luckily it came off for me today. (on Abbas) it's a great sign for domestic cricket that guys coming in and stepping up and playing the way they play in domestic cricket. To stay in the game, keep fighting, that New Zealand spirit and it's what we re all about

Fewest runs by a team's bottom six batters (No. 6 - 11) in an all-out innings in men's ODIs:

0 - Zimbabwe vs Sri Lanka, Harare, 2008

2 - Kenya vs Pakistan, Hambantota, 2011

3 - Pakistan vs New Zealand, Napier, Today

Brad: "Gosh! I was away for a few minutes, came back only to see the game is over. What a speedy slide by the visitors."

Moon: "@Dev we are not here to discuss virat, we know virat is a legend, but at this situation not to blame babar azam, we have to blame the middle order for this"

Aseem: "With half the team not available and Latham having fractured his thumb, this thumping victory by this NZ team is quite an achievement."

Umer : "Blaming Babar is tantamount to blaming the only player who is performing decently. Wickets had been falling at crucial junctures and still, he managed to score at a decent pace. The equation looked like 98 of 65 odd balls (while chasing 350) when he got out. How much more comfortable do the others want it to be? If the half of the team keeps implodong for 24 runs, then whatever Babar does, is never gonna be enough. It's others mediocrity that is bogging him down, not the other way round.

Kay: "This Pakistan team reminds me of Indian team in mid- to late-90s. Too much reliance on one superstar batsman and a mediocre bowling attack. The team plays well enough to win occasionally but doesn't have the balance to be a serious threat to top opposition. The fans will get disappointed more often than not."

Premjeet Singh: "Losing 7 wickets for 22 runs to an inexperienced bowling attack. Typical Pakistan things!"

Waqas: "@Hamza: If Babar bats the way he does, he should not be getting out at crucial situations but needs to see team through. But if he gets out, he needs to play at the required rate to make it easier for the rest. Can't have it both ways"

Dev: "Pakistanis can defend Babar Azam as much as they want but the fact is he is nowhere near to Virat Kohli when it comes to remaining not out and finishing the games chasing. With such mediocre bowling attack, Babar should have chased this total down." Won't call them mediocre just because of some mainstays' absences