Hasan Nawaz lit up Eden Park with a stunning maiden T20I century as Pakistan kept their five-match series against New Zealand alive, storming to a nine-wicket win in a high-scoring thriller. The visitors chased down a daunting target of 205 in only 16 overs — the fastest successful 200-plus run chase in men’s T20I history.

In a match that produced 411 runs, Nawaz’s blistering hundred overshadowed Mark Chapman’s 94 as Pakistan finally reaped the rewards of their aggressive new approach after two previous losses. Leading the side in the absence of regular stars, Salman Agha anchored the innings with an unbeaten 51 and shared a match-winning 133-run partnership with Nawaz.

The young opening pair of Nawaz and Mohammad Haris, backed by the team in this new post-Rizwan-Babar era, got off to a flying start. They posted 74 runs in just 35 balls, laying the perfect platform. Nawaz, who had scored ducks in his previous two innings, bounced back with flair — bringing up the fastest T20I century ever by a Pakistani, off just 44 deliveries.

Chapman’s Brilliance Sets the Tone for New Zealand

Earlier, Mark Chapman had played a brilliant hand, smashing 94 from just 44 balls to guide New Zealand to what seemed like a formidable total. His knock came after Finn Allen was dismissed for a duck by Shaheen Shah Afridi in the opening over. Chapman, along with Tim Seifert (19 off 9), steadied the innings before Seifert fell to Haris Rauf.

Chapman was in sublime touch, pulling short balls, drilling cover drives, and punishing spin with ease. He reached his fourth T20I half-century against Pakistan in just 29 balls — his first fifty in almost a year — and went on to strike 11 fours and four sixes before being undone by a clever slower ball from Afridi in the 13th over.

Though Pakistan clawed back with timely strikes, including double-wicket overs from Rauf and Abrar Ahmed, Michael Bracewell’s quick 31 off 18 ensured New Zealand crossed the 200-run mark.

Pakistan’s Explosive Reply

Needing a win to stay alive in the series, Pakistan came out firing. Haris launched Kyle Jamieson for two sixes in the very first over and followed it up with boundaries off Jacob Duffy. Despite some early timing struggles, Nawaz found boundaries through edges and hustled to keep pace.

Pakistan reached their joint-fastest T20I team fifty in just four overs, and after Haris fell for 41 off 20 balls, they ended the powerplay with 75 for 1 — their highest-ever powerplay total in T20Is.

After playing a supporting role early, Nawaz took command of the chase. He launched Ish Sodhi for a six over long-on to mark his intent, and brought up his maiden T20I half-century in the ninth over off 26 balls. He had a life on 68 when Sodhi dropped a catch off Ben Sears, but continued to make the most of the batting-friendly conditions and heavy dew.

Nawaz finished with 107* from just 45 balls, including 10 fours and 7 sixes. Agha played a composed and smart knock, scoring 51* with six boundaries and two sixes of his own. The pair added 65 runs in the final four overs to seal the chase emphatically.

Nawaz reached his century on the second-last ball of the innings, capping off a historic win and keeping the series alive at 1-2.