Five players made their debuts during the New Zealand-Pakistan ODI clash today (March 29) and here’s how the ones from the visitors fared.
In their first 50-over game since the debacle of the Champions Trophy, Pakistan handed debuts to three players - Akif Javed, Mohammad Ali and Usman Khan. The trio had decent outings but could not stop their team from succumbing to a 73-run defeat at Napier.
Akif Javed
10-1-55-2
The left-arm pacer was playing his first international game, taking the new ball alongside Naseem Shah. He started with a wide and a no ball before finding his rhythm. He bowled a brutal delivery on his first legal ball, getting the length ball to angle in and hit New Zealand debutant Nick Kelly on the chest.
Kelly became his first international wicket, clean bowled by a length ball that jagged back into him. Javed sent back Henry Nicholls soon after, bouncing him out with a ball that angled in. He also faced three balls with the bat, making one run.
Mohammad Ali
10-0-53-2
The second-most economical bowler from the team in the game, Ali had played four Tests and three T20Is before his ODI debut. Starting with a wide as well, he bowled several good-length deliveries that shaped away from the right-handers.
He could have dismissed Mark Chapman in the 12th over if not for a drop by Salman Agha but eventually got his first wicket after sending back debutant Muhammad Abbas, who struck the fastest fifty in his first ODI game. Ali sent down five wides, though.
Usman Khan
39 in 33
Usman has played 19 T20Is for Pakistan, averaging 14.93 with a high score of 52. He seemed more confident in the longer white-ball format, however, scoring a four and a six in the first five balls that he faced. He survived two chances, first being dropped by Michael Bracewell and then seeing an edge land in no-man’s land, but was impressive overall, hitting two sixes and four fours at a strike rate of 118.18 in a big chase.
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