Pak clinch series against Kiwis, claim No. 1 T20 spot

Pakistan cricket team on Sunday defeated New Zealand by 18 runs in the third and final T20 international, here at the Bay Oval, to clinch the series 2-1.

Pakistan (124 points) had entered the series trailing number-one ranked New Zealand (126 points) by two points. The series win saw Pakistan usurp New Zealand in ICC's T20 team rankings and soar to the number one spot.

After winning the toss and electing to bat first, Pakistan set a daunting target of 182.

Opener Fakhar Zaman was Pakistan's top-scorer with 46 runs off 36 balls, laced with five boundaries and a six.

Skipper Sarfraz Ahmed made 29, while Umar Amin chipped in with a quick 21 off just 7 balls.

Ish Sodhi and Mitchell Santner picked up two wickets each for New Zealand.

Meanwhile, Trent Boult and Colin de Grandhomme scalped one.

New Zealand were cautious in their chase, scoring just 32 runs in the first five overs.

Pakistan couldn't claim the second wicket until the 13th over but Martin Guptill and Anaru Kitchen's cautious approach meant that only 84 runs were on the board until then.

Ross Taylor (24) and Santner (24*) also chipped in with their cameos towards the end, but it wasn't enough.

Shadab Khan picked up two wickets for Pakistan.

Khan was named the man of the match, whereas pacer Mohammad Amir claimed the man-of-the-series title.

--ANI