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Summary
Pakistan 268/9 (50 ov)New Zealand 227 (46.5 ov)Pakistan won by 41 runsPakistan has won a 6-match series against New Zealand by 41 runs. Ahmed Shehzad hit his maiden one-day international century to guide Pakistan to a 41-run win over New Zealand in the 5th one-day international, clinching victory in the six-match series. Shehzad made 115 from 104 balls as Pakistan posted 268-9 in its 50 overs after being sent in to bat on a slow pitch. New Zealands stand-in captain Ross Taylor top-scored with 69 and Martin Guptill made 65 as New Zealand was dismissed for 227 in 46.5 overs in a bungled run chase. Pakistan has an unbeatable 3-1 lead with one match to play. Pakistan received another boost in their preparation for the World Cup with opener Ahmed Shehzad stealing the limelight with an attacking century, his first in ODIs, to set a challenging target in a crunch game for the hosts. Shehzad batted with utmost confidence during his calculated assault, overcoming a cautious start and an early wicket in overcast conditions by launching a counter-attack that snatched the initiative New Zealand had worked hard to gain at the start of the game. A miserly first spell by Kyle Mills appeared to have justified Ross Taylor's decision to bowl, as it cramped the usually fluent openers through nagging lines outside off stump and crafty variations in pace. He conceded just one run in his first three overs and when he provided a rare opportunity, offering Mohammad Hafeez, generally solid and fresh from a century, some width, he earned a wicket as the batsman spooned a catch to mid-off. Shehzad, though, was determined to pull things back. He had warmed up with a crisp straight drive off Hamish Bennett but turned to power play to release the pressure created by the early wicket. Mills' tight lines were countered with a mow past mid-off and an agricultural slog over midwicket, catching the bowler off guard and marking a turn in the tide. Shehzad had won the psychological battle when Mills strayed onto the pads the next over, to be glanced to the fine-leg boundary. A feature of Shehzad's knock was his domination of Bennett, which offset any pressure New Zealand were able to inflict with the fall of a wicket. Bennett overpitched too often, or dropped too short, and was picked off consistently for boundaries. He squandered some hard work by conceding fours off the last balls of his first two overs and was struck for consecutive boundaries by an initially rusty Kamran Akmal before Shehzad singled him out for treatment. He was launched for a straight six and welcomed in his second spell with a violent pull over the midwicket boundary followed by a clean strike over long-on. While Shehzad took timely risks and had the power and ability to back them up, he was ruthless against the opportunities doled out by the bowlers when Pakistan had been forced to shift gears in the middle overs. The run-out of Kamran resulted in four boundary-less overs before Nathan McCullum, otherwise quite tidy, gifted a short and wide delivery that Shehzad slashed through point. Scott Styris met a similar fate while James Franklin was a victim of Shehzad's subtleties as he was twice scooped over fine leg. The constant, throughout Shehzad's innings, only his seventh in this format, was his assuredness and determination to keep the hosts worried at one end. When he fell, miscuing Styris to deep square leg, with plenty of ammunition left in the batting, New Zealand were staring at an intimidating target. Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq, Shehzad's senior partners, built useful partnerships but fell trying to step up. With a Powerplay to go, Pakistan were still in control. New Zealand, however, caught well and their medium-pacers managed to restrain a power-packed middle order through some accurate bowling. Low full tosses proved difficult to score off, Shahid Afridi and Abdul Razzaq holed out to be dismissed in consecutive overs while Oram and Benett combined to keep Pakistan down to just 11 in the last three overs. Only once has a team lost chasing at Seddon Park since 2002 but with New Zealand's recent ODI record in a shambles, Pakistan won't really be worried about past results at the venue. (Courtesy: Cricinfo)
