New Zealand vs Pakistan, 4th T20I at Mount Maunganui, NZ vs PAK, Mar 23 2025 - Match Result

That is all of our action for today. Thank you for tuning in. Please join us again for the fifth match of the T20I series on March 26th at the same time in Wellington. Until then, Rashad and the ESPNcricinfo team say farewell. Goodbye.

Michael Bracewell: "Yeah, very happy with the performance tonight, I think bouncing back only a day or so after their performance at Eden Park was outstanding. I think it shows the benefit of those guys batting so well at the top, they got us very well ahead of the game. And we had that little whoopsie through the middle again, but Daryl and I were able to sort of a good score that we're really happy with. (Losing the toss) Shaheen's first, over, especially the ball swung quite a lot, so I don't think the conditions changed too much. I think sometimes when the ball hits the holdings here, it rips it up quite quickly, and we were able to sort of get a few wickets early before the ball got hit to the fence. You never know what could have happened if we bowled first. It's always nice to be at the end and try to finish it off. At number seven, you sort of either get a couple of balls, or you get quite a few. The last couple of games have been quite a few, but hopefully, I can put my feet up in the next one. All the seamers bowled brilliantly, so nice. And then it wasn't spinning too much, but even the way Ish bowled there at the end was brilliant. It's always great to see him roughing those leggies and to get the last wicket was outstanding for him."

Salman Ali Agha: "They bowled really well. You have to get them the credit they've bowled really well, and they outplayed us. It was swinging, and it was turning as well. It does a lot in the second inning, but we are international cricketers, so we have to adapt to that, and we will have to be better. The way the ball was swinging in the second inning, I think it was too much. We have our last game (Wellington). We will regroup and sit down and see what we need to improve, and then we will come good in the next game as well."

Player of the Match Finn Allen: "Pretty happy (with the win and the POTM award). Probably a few guys who might deserve it to be up here. A bit more than me, but I'll take it (laughter). It's a pretty freckle game. Sometimes, the game gets you. And I guess today, you gotta go out there and start fresh. And I guess that's what we try to do. The seamers were good through the middle bowling into the wicket, got a good bounce, and I think Rauf and Abbas really sowed that they got a good bounce out of that surface. So we just tried to cash in with the spinners a bit more. For the team. It's always nice for me to sit at the other end and watch him (Seifert) go. And then try and take over when he goes."

With one match remaining, New Zealand has secured the series 3-1! The New Zealand bowlers got the ball rolling early in the innings. The seamers performed a masterclass with their firing seam and swing deliveries. The first thing the Pakistani batters did was swing at everything and anything. But it's not every day that you can get away with the same attempt, especially against a disciplined New Zealand seam attack that moves the ball both ways. Pakistan lost their first five wickets in the powerplay, and the match was effectively over since turning things around in a high-scoring chase match is quite tough. It was a matter of time to see how far Pakistan's batters could carry the game. Irfan Khan scored 26 runs and Abdul Samad scored 44 runs; just two batters reached double digits, which explains Pakistan's batting performance today. The speed trio of O'Rourke, Duffy, and Foulkes marched through the batting order with the new ball, swinging and shaping it, making life difficult for the visitors. Duffy took four wickets, Foulkes three, and the remaining three were shared by Neesham, O'Rourke, and Sodhi.

Imaad Ali: "Sorry Salman Ali Agha but not everyday is Sunday. This strategy of mindless slogging with very one-dimensional players will only work once in a million times, and the good teams will bundle Pakistan out quickly like this. This will only further catalyse Pakistan's losses in T20I cricket and I seriously doubt its reliability. Love it or hate it, the reason Pakistan had success under Babar and Rizwan was because they were sensible and had things to their game other than trying to slog every ball."

New Zealand won by 115 runs

Slip in place

Two slips in for Abrar, Duffy searching for his fifer