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Abdul Razzaq and Mohammad Sami kept their heads to steer Pakistan to a three-wicket win in the first of five one-day games against New Zealand.

A daunting target of 292 looked too much for the home side when they were reduced to 227-7 in the 44th over.

But Razzaq (47) and Sami (17) threw the bat brilliantly to see Pakistan home with two overs to spare.

Chris Cairns had earlier hit six sixes in making 84 not out off 51 balls to see New Zealand to a total of 291-5.

But no-one was able to witness the run feast on TV because of a rights dispute between the state-run Pakistan Television Corporation and the private GEO channel.

The tourists went into the game as underdogs, having arrived in Pakistan without nine regular members of their squad.

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Six players made their one-day international debuts, including openers Craig Cumming and Richard Jones, who showed few signs of nerves in a stand of 49 after Cairns won the toss and opted to bat.

Once they had been dismissed - Cumming for 25 and Jones for 16 - Mathew Sinclair and Hamish Marshall laid the foundation for a sizeable total by adding 99 for the third wicket.

Both made 55 with Sinclair finally stumped by Moin Khan off Shoaib Malik and Marshall lbw to the impressive Shabbir Ahmed, who picked up 2-30 from his 10 overs.

The final 10-over onslaught was left to Cairns and Jacob Oram and they produced a fantastic display of big-hitting.

Cairns struck the ball with tremendous power

Cairns reached a 41-ball fifty with three successive sixes off Danish Kaneria and although he lost Oram, caught off Razzaq for 35 in the final over, he still took 23 from it to round off New Zealand's innings.

And things looked even bleaker for Pakistan when Imran Farhat was caught behind for nought off Michael Mason's third delivery.

Yasir Hameed (52) and Yousuf Youhana (42) shared a partnership of 90 in 17 overs but the home side's chances faded when Inzamam-ul-Haq (49) and Moin Khan (43) fell in successive overs to leave them on 196-5.

Oram followed up by dismissing Misbah-ul-Haq for 21, but Mason and Walmsley were found wanting as the game reached its climax with Razzaq and Sami resfusing to give up..

Cairns brought himself on for the 47th over and suffered a taste of his own medicine as hit a six and a four, with Sami taking a single off the final delivery to end the match.

"Razzaq showed why he is so dangerous and a world-class all-rounder. He helped us win the match from a position where we thought it had slipped away," said Pakistan captain Inzamam.

Pakistan: Inzamam-ul-Haq (capt), Imran Farhat, Yasir Hameed, Yousuf Youhana, Shoaib Malik, Abdul Razzaq, Moin Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Shabbir Ahmed, Danish Kaneria, Mohammad Sami