Dominant New Zealand crush Pakistan in ODI series opener: Stats
29 Mar 2025

New Zealand defeated Pakistan by 73 runs in Napier in the first match of the three-ODI series.

Mark Chapman was the star of the day, scoring his career-best 132 runs off just 111 balls.

His impressive performance was supported by Daryl Mitchell's solid contribution of 76 runs and Mohammad Abbas's record-breaking 52 on debut.

Nathan Smith then took four wickets as Pakistan were folded for 271 while chasing 345.

Here are the key stats.

New Zealand's batting strategy pays off
Game plan

Pakistan's decision to bowl first after winning the toss looked like a smart move at first.

The seam bowlers found life in the pitch as NZ were reduced to 50/3.

However, Chapman and Mitchell steadied the ship with a vital partnership of 199 runs.

Abbas's late blitz meant New Zealand recorded their second-highest total at home against Pakistan, with 344/9.

Pakistan's batting collapse leads to unexpected defeat
Match reversal

Pakistan's response to New Zealand's 344 runs began on a positive note with Babar Azam and Salman Agha scoring fifties.

But their innings took a drastic turn as they collapsed from a strong position of 249/3, to an all-out score of mere 271 runs.

New Zealand's bowlers turned the game around in the final stages, clinching a victory that wasn't as easy as the final score suggested.

As mentioned, Smith took four wickets.

Abbas shines in ODI debut
Record debut

Making his ODI debut for New Zealand, Muhammad Abbas stole the show. He displayed his prowess by hitting three fours and as many sixes en route to his 26-ball 52.

He took just 24 balls to reach this milestone, which is the fastest half-century on debut in ODI history, as per ESPNcricinfo.

Playing his 16th List A match, he has raced to 506 runs at 34-plus. This was his sixth half-century (100: 1).

Record stand between Chapman and Mitchell
Partnership

Having added 199 runs for the fourth wicket, Chapman and Mitchell recorded the highest partnership for New Zealand against Pakistan in ODI cricket.

They broke the previous record of New Zealand's Stephen Fleming and Nathan Astle, who had a partnership of 193 runs in 2001.

Meanwhile, Chapman's 132 is now the highest ODI score by a Kiwi batter against Pakistan.

Third ODI ton for Chapman
Chapman

Chapman scored 13 fours and six maximums en route to his 111-ball 132, his career-best ODI score.

This was the batter's maiden 50-plus score against Pakistan in ODIs, having raced to 289 runs against them at 41.28.

The southpaw has overall completed 868 ODI runs at 39.45, as per ESPNcricinfo.

His tally includes three tons and as many fifties. While 717 of his ODI runs have come in NZ colors, his remaining 151 came for Hong Kong.

2,000 ODI runs loading for Mitchell
Mitchell

Mitchell made 76 runs from 84 balls with the help of four fours and as many sixes.

Playing his 50th ODI, the senior Kiwi batter has raced to 1,980 runs at an average of 49.5.

His tally includes six tons and nine half-centuries. 622 of his runs have come against Pakistan at 51.83 (100s: 2, 50s: 3).

This was his second 50-plus score at home (ODIs).