Hay, Sears seal series win for New Zealand

An unbeaten 99 from Mitchell Hay and a fearsome collective spell of fast bowling from New Zealand blew Pakistan away, inflicting an 84-run defeat as New Zealand sealed the series 2-0.

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Pakistan pulled New Zealand back in the first innings thanks to an unerring and penetrative spell from their spinner Sufiyan Muqeem before their death bowling failed them once more. Set 293 to keep the series alive, the contest became a formality within the first 12 overs as Pakistan lost their top half for 32.

Under cloudy skies in Hamilton, Rizwan won the toss once more and decided to put New Zealand in again, hoping a green surface would yield early wickets for his seam bowlers. Instead, New Zealand's openers Rhys Mariu and Nick Kelly with a combined solitary ODI between them flew out of the blocks. Pakistan were errant in their discipline once more with eight wides in the first four overs, but New Zealand set the tone with 11 off Akif Javed's first over. Another 12 off his second meant New Kelly and Mariu needed just six overs to bring up the 50-partnership, Pakistan having squandered promising bowling conditions in the first half-hour.

Haris Rauf was getting the ball to come back in, and it was that kind of delivery that brought the breakthrough. He angled one in to draw an inside edge from Kelly, and thereafter, Pakistan started to take control of the game. For once, their fielding backed up the bowlers as Babar Azam dived sharply to his right to snare a catch that sent Mariu back for a stuttering 18.