4th ODI: Pakistan chasing 263 to win over NZ
New Zealand 262/7 (50 ov)
Pakistan 238/7 (27.0 ov)
Pakistan require another 25 runs with 3 wickets and 23.0 overs remaining
Pakistan need an achievable 263 to overhaul New Zealand's total for seven wickets in their fourth one-day international cricket match at McLean Park, Napier today.
Black Caps openers Jamie How and Martin Guptill went after opener Sohail Tanvir before Wahab Riaz struck, claiming the scalp of Guptill for 21 runs before How holed out at square leg to Umar Akmal from an Abdul Razzaq delivery for 13. At 2-44, vice-captain Ross Taylor arrived but lasted only five balls with just one boundary to show for. No 4 Scott Styris could only contribute 11 runs after Umar Gul ran him out off a Mohammed Hafeez delivery following a mix-up with No 5 Kane Williamson, who held his ground as Styris attempted to dart back to his crease. James Franklin, who came in for injured opening batsman Jesse Ryder, assumed the mantle of anchoring the innings but Williamson departed for 15, mistiming a shot to Younis Khan at drive as the Kiwis were left teetering at 5-79 in 20.3 overs. Enter unwanted opener at No 7 Brendon McCullum (22 runs) who laboriously took the hosts to 100 runs with Franklin (32 runs) off 159 balls in 106 minutes in the 26th over. The pair brought up their 50-run partnership off 61 balls in 32 minutes. Just when the explosive Otago batsman/wicketkeeper looked like resurrecting New Zealand's innings with three boundaries, before a rush of blood saw him edge a ball to wicketkeeper Karam Akmal off a Riaz delivery for 37 runs off 39 balls. McCullum, who had charged down the wicket to an earlier ball, did not take heed of the degree of deviation from Riaz's delivery. But Franklin continued playing a subdued innings, bringing his half ton off 67 balls in 97 minutes, including six boundaries as the Caps sat on 187-6 with 57 balls to come with No 8 Nathan McCullum feeding him the strike at the other end. Franklin and Nathan McCullum brought up their 50-run seventh-wicket partnership in 56 balls but a ball later the crowd took a collective sigh of relief as Franklin survived a run out when bowler Gul botched a thrown in, the ball spilling out of his hands in haste as the frustrated Pakistani knocked a bail off with his swinging hand. New Zealand's 200 runs came with 44 balls to spare. 12th man Jacob Oram ran out with a message in a bottle and Franklin obliged, holing out to Kamran off a Riaz ball to finish with 62 runs with New Zealand on 205-7. McCullum, coming off the rotation policy, persisted with 53 unbeaten runs, mixing it with several air shots. He brought up his 50 off 54 balls in 81 minutes, shortly before his 50-run partnership with skipper Vettori as the Caps carved up 256-7 with an over to spare. McCullum's innings included five boundaries and a six. Vettori was unbeaten on 13.
