Twitter Reactions: Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner power New Zealand to commanding win over Pakistan

Twitter Reactions: Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner power New Zealand to commanding win over Pakistan (Source: @BLACKCAPS)

New Zealand got off to a positive start in the Tri-Nation Series after registering a 78-run victory against Pakistan in the first match of the series. Opting to bat first, the tourists put 330 on the board. Pakistan could only manage 252 in front of a high-turnout Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.

A ball after inducing a nick off Will Young’s bat, Shaheen Shah Afridi struck on the fourth delivery of the match with his first dismissal of the day. Rachin Ravindra looked good in the middle. However, his dismissal in the eighth over found the Kiwis at 42/2 after the first 10 overs.

The next 10-over phase saw the BlackCaps not losing a single wicket, with Kane Williamson and Daryl Mitchell steadily building a vital partnership in the middle. Williamson got to his half-century off 82 deliveries, his slowest in his ODI career. A couple of strikes in the 26th and 27th overs pegged New Zealand back.

Glenn Phillipsjoined Mitchell in the middle. The two of them were going quite well in each other’s company before Mitchell departed for 81. Phillips was on 26 off 39 deliveries at the start of the 42nd over. The dynamic middle-order batter raced his way to his maiden ton in the format, reaching there in only 72 balls. It was a truly electrifying display of hard-hitting as the Black Caps posted 330 on the board after 50 overs.

In response, Pakistan started off quite positively. Fakhar Zaman took a little time to settle before getting going. He took 15 runs off Will O’Rourke’s third over. Another maximum followed in O’Rourke’s subsequent over. It was a near-flawless powerplay until Babar Azam was dismissed on the final delivery of the 10th over.

Kamran Ghulam seemed to have gotten consumed by the pressure multiplying due to the mounting number of dot deliveries, as Mitchell Santner was off the mark as far as wicket-taking was concerned. Not long after, the Kiwi skipper got the bettter of his opposite number, Mohammad Rizwan. With Zaman departing in the next over, it was always going to be a steep road ahead for Pakistan.

With Haris Rauf absent due to an injury he sustained while bowling, the match concluded after the ninth Pakistan wicket fell. Abrar Ahmed ended up not-out with 23 to his name. It was a thumping victory for New Zealand. Other than Santner, Matt Henry ended up with a three-wicket haul too.

Check out how X reacted to Match 1 of the Tri-Nation Series between PAK and NZ

PCB should improve the Quality of light in the Ground.

Rachin Ravindra misjudges the ball under bad lights and takes a brutal hit near the eye.

Hope he Recover soon…. #PAKvNZ || Rachin Ravindra ||

pic.twitter.com/9RAhTiOx9w

— Sudarshan (@Imsudarshan__) February 8, 2025

A terrifying moment on the field!

Rachin Ravindra misjudges the ball under the lights and takes a brutal hit near the eye
Blood visible, and he’s escorted off the field. Wishing him a speedy recovery! #NZvsPAK #RachinRavindra #ChampionsTrophy2025 #PAKvNZ pic.twitter.com/qmSvnDz1zr

— ShivRaj Yadav (@shivaydv_) February 8, 2025

Abrar Ahmad giving lesson to batters #tapmad #PakvNZ #CatchEveryMatch #DontStopStreaming pic.twitter.com/5MXcqTsU2e

— Abdul Ghaffar (@GhaffarDawnNews) February 8, 2025

Still scratching my head over the management. Played Irfan Niazi and Haseebullah in multiple series only to drag Khushdil and Tayyab Tahir back in. One of them failed miserably tonight. Sufyan Muqeem should be in. Pak needs to think a lot now. #PAKvNZ #ChampionsTrophy2025

— Muhammad Muzammil (@M_u_z_i_21) February 8, 2025

Amazing Captaincy @MitchellSantner #PAKvNZ

— Asim Mehmood (@imAsim001) February 8, 2025

When was the last time PCT played all 50 overs in an ODI game? Apart from all the shuffling in playing 11, this is another important element to address in CT. Win/lose, playing all 50 overs puts a team in a better position.#PAKvNZ

— Attiya Sheikh (@Attiya03) February 8, 2025

New Zealand beat Pakistan by 76 Runs in the first Match after renovation at Gaddafi Stadium Lahore#Triseries #PAKvNZ pic.twitter.com/CjyO9kvNWL

— Abhijeet ♞ (@TheYorkerBall) February 8, 2025