Mark Chapman scored his maiden unbeaten century to guide New Zealand to a six-wicket win over Pakistan in the fifth and final T20 match in Rawalpindi on Monday, thereby ending the series level at 2-2. Chapman’s knock of 104 off 57 balls helped New Zealand chase down a challenging target of 194 with four balls to spare after they were in a spot of bother at 73-4. James Neesham provided excellent support to Chapman and remained unbeaten on 45 off 25 balls as the duo shared an unbroken partnership of 121 runs for the fifth wicket.
The win was even more impressive for New Zealand since they were missing their top eight players, including regular skipper Kane Williamson, due to the ongoing Indian Premier League. The victory marked New Zealand’s 100th T20I win in 192 matches.
Pakistan had posted 193-5 in their 20 overs, courtesy of a brilliant knock of 98 not out by Mohammad Rizwan. He struck four sixes and seven fours in his 62-ball innings, which helped Pakistan recover from a shaky start. Rizwan shared a 71-run partnership with Iftikhar Ahmed for the fourth wicket and a 68-run stand with Imad Wasim for the fifth wicket. However, Pakistan skipper Babar Azam lamented that his team was “10-15 runs short” in the end.
The match was played in Rawalpindi after the fourth T20 match was abandoned due to a hailstorm. Pakistan had won the first two matches of the series in Lahore by 88 runs and 38 runs respectively, while New Zealand won the third match by four runs.
Chapman’s century was the standout moment of the series and earned him praise from all quarters. He hit 11 fours and four sixes during his knock and completed his century in style with a brace off Shaheen Shah Afridi.
In the post-match interview, Chapman said, “We are very happy with how we levelled the series tonight and finished the job. It took a bit of adjusting in the first two games, and it’s great to see that it worked out well.”
The series was closely contested, and both teams played some excellent cricket. Overall, it was a fitting end to a fantastic series, and the fans were treated to some top-quality T20 cricket.
