First one-day international, Wellington (Westpac Stadium):
New Zealand 125-1 (17.2 ovs) bt Pakistan 124 (37.3 ovs) by nine wkts
Match scorecard
 Southee took the first three wickets to rock Pakistan |
New Zealand ended their 11-game losing run in one-day internationals as they thrashed Pakistan in Wellington to take a 1-0 lead in the six-match series. Kiwi seamer Tim Southee took a career best 5-33 as the tourists were skittled out for only 124 in 37.3 overs. The hosts easily reached their target with opener Jesse Ryder hitting 55 in 34 balls before departing with the score on 84. Martin Guptill and Ross Taylor then steered the Kiwis to victory. It was a welcome win for New Zealand after their recent troubles in limited overs cricket and the foundations were set by Southee. He made a mockery of Pakistan choosing to bat after winning the toss as he took the first three wickets.  | 606: DEBATE |
Pakistan slumped to 29-3 and failed to recover, with a 50 from Misbah ul-Haq the only show of resistance they managed to muster. "He [Southee] swung the ball and put it in the right areas," said Pakistan coach Waqar Younis. "Swinging the ball is one thing but putting it in the right areas is another. We just kept nicking him." Young fast bowler Hamish Bennett was also too much for the Pakistan side to handle as he almost took a hat-trick before finishing with 3-26, while wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum took five catches behind the stumps. In reply, the Kiwis raced away as Ryder, in particular, punished a tourists attack which included veteran fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar conceding 47 runs from four overs. "It was a good performance, I think we bowled extremely well," said New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori. "There was probably more in the pitch than we thought. Tim Southee set it up for us with how he swung the ball. So far in this whole Pakistan series he has bowled very well."
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