PAK Vs NZ, ICC Cricket World Cup 2023: Fakhar Zaman, Rain Help Pakistan Beat New Zealand; Keep Semi-final Hopes Alive - As It Happened

Pakistan have pulled off a sensational result at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru to clinch a stunning 21-run win via DLS method against New Zealand in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. Thanks to Fakhar Zaman's blistering 126 not out (81 balls) and Babar Azam's unbeaten 63-ball 66, Pakistan have kept their hopes of reaching the semi-finals of the Cricket World Cup alive. Rains kept halting play but Pakistan batters ensured they weren't behind the par score as Fakhar's big hitting put pressure on the Kiwis spinners especially Ish Sodhi. (Scorecard | Report | Full Coverage)

With this victory, South Africa have also qualified for the semi-finals alongside India. Earlier, New Zealand posted a massive 401/6 in 50 overs thanks to Rachin Ravindra's 109. He was well supported by skipper Kane Williamson who got out in the 90s. For Pakistan, Mohammad Wasim Jr was the pick of their bowlers by scalping three wickets. Get scores and highlights of NZ vs PAK match here.

7:52 PM: Goodbye!
A result that keeps four teams still in the semi-final race. Pakistan have also raised their hopes of reaching the last four. Goodbye for now.

7:48 PM: Captain Speak (Post-game)

Babar: When we came to the dressing room, just passed message we need good partnerships. Said to Fakhar if he plays 15 overs we'll be ahead. Back of the mind we knew rain was coming. Full credit to Fakhar. We knew there was a short boundary and utilised it. We're just trying to give 100 percent. You never know. We're just going match by match.

Williamson: Obviously a nice first half. Weather played its part but can't take away from Pakistan. Zaman - the ground wasn't big enough for him. They played exceptionally well and gave themselves every chance. Match getting shortened brings both teams closer together. Would've been nice to have the full 50. Was tricky to protect the shorter side. Full credit, they deserved the result today. I thought the contributions throughout were great. Clearly a very good surface. Can be tough on the bowlers sometimes. Rachin is batting absolutely beautifully. There's always small margins with the ball. If you get a wicket or two, you can take the short side out of it with the left-right combo. But we couldn't do that.

7:36 PM: PAK Win By 21 Runs - DLS Method
Pakistan have pulled off a stunning victory here in Bengaluru and kept their semi-final hopes alive with a 21-run win (DLS method). 

6:38 PM: PAK 200/1, Rain Interrupts Play
Rains have returned to interrupt play at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. However, that won't bother Pakistan, who are 21 runs ahead on DLS par score.

6:34 PM: PAK 199/1; Overs 21-25 Highlights
Pakistan opener Fakhar Zaman slammed three sixes off Ish Sodhi's over as pressure built on the Kiwis. Babar Azam on the other end, too kept the run flow going as he notched up his half-century. Sodhi's over went for 20 runs thanks to Fakhar's blistering hitting.

6:03 PM: Match Update
It will be a 41-over chase. The target is 342 and will start at 6:20 pm local time.

5:53 PM: More Rain Update
Crowd cheers on as Pitch being uncovered now. Super-soppers are doing their work at the moment. Next update at 6pm, says the big screen inside the stadium.

5:37 PM: Rain Update
Drizzle is still on at the stadium but its a slight one. Groundstaff ready to remove the covers but waiting for the umpires to take the final call. Sadly, the dark clouds are still hovering around despite the drizzle. Pakistan were placed comfortably at 160 for one in their chase of 402 runs for victory when rain stopped play with 21.3 overs bowled.

4:45 PM: PAK - 152/1; Overs 11-20 Highlights
Fakhar Zaman recorded the fastest WC hundred by a Pakistan batter as the Men In Green look to chase down the massive target of 402. He is well supported by Babar Azam at the other end as the duo are milking the Kiwi bowlers. Despite the rain threat, Pakistan batters are in no mood of forgiving. Glenn Phillips who started the 11th over with a maiden, was also not spared by Zaman. If rains do arrive, Pakistan are 10 runs ahead on the DLS par score at the end of 20 overs.

4:33 PM: Rain Threat Around
It's gone pretty dark in Bengaluru as rain threat looms large in the New Zealand vs Pakistan fixture.

4:03 PM: PAK - 75/1; Overs 6-10 Highlights
Fakhar Zaman continued where he left off in Eden Gardens, as he blasted the Kiwi bowlers to all corners of the ground. He was well supported by Babar Azam, who himself has upped the ante. Trent Boult was quite expensive as he was taken for 42 from his 4 overs. Remember, if New Zealand win, they eliminate four teams from the tournament. Read more here

3:42 PM: PAK-29/1; Overs 1-5 Highlights
Pakistan lost Abdullah Shafique (4) early as he was dismissed by Tim Southee. Kane Williamson took a screamer to run back and grab hold of the ball that went very high. Babar Azam joined Fakhar Zaman at the crease to continue the run-chase. Tim Southee was quite economic in this spell.

3:30 PM: PAK Begin Run-chase
Pakistan's run-chase has begun after a brief halt from the rains.

2:41 PM: NZ - 401/6; Overs 41-50 Highlights
New Zealand achieved their highest-ever World Cup total as they amassed 401 for the loss of 6 wickets. Mark Chapman (39) and Glenn Phillips (41) were key contributors in providing the boost for the Black Caps to achieve this big total. For Pakistan, Mohammad Wasim Jr was the pick of the bowlers as he scalped quick wickets to give the Men In Green some hope.

2:21 PM: Stat Attack

01:47 PM: NZ - 307/3; Overs 31-40 Highlights
New Zealand are unstoppable today as the total score crossed the 300 mark. Set batters Kane Williamson (95) and Ravindra (108) lost their wickets to Iftikhar Ahmed and Mohammad Wasim Jnr, respectively. Mark Chapman and Daryl Mitchell are at the crease to take the Black Caps towards a mammoth score. Given their huge strike rates, the duo have the potential to take the score past 350 runs.

12:56 PM: NZ 211/1; Overs 21-30 Highlights
New Zealand are on a roll. 86 runs came of this phase as both Kane Williamson and Rachin Ravindra pushed the accelerator. The Kiwi pair also reached their respective half-centuries. Pakistan bowlers just could not cope with the blistering attack from Ravindra and Williamson as NZ eye huge score in Bengaluru.

12:07 PM: NZ - 125/1; Overs 11-20 Highlights

Kiwis kept up the pressure on Pakistan bowlers despite the wicket of Devon Conway. The southpaw was dismissed by Hasan Ali, who amassed 100 wickets in ODI cricket. Rachin Ravindra continued his fine form in this tournament with yet another half-century and is looking in fine form. He is joined by the returning Kane Williamson as the duo look to build up a strong partnership and eye up a huge score.

11:15 AM: NZ 66/0; Overs 6-10 Highlights
Rachin Ravindra and Devon Conway continued their good opening start as Pakistan bowlers struggled to get any breakthrough. Ravindra (28) hit some nice shots off Shaheen Afridi's bowling as the Kiwis look to pile up a huge score in Bengaluru.

10:56 AM: NZ 29/0; Overs 1-5 Highlights
Despite winning the toss, Pakistan bowlers have been heywire with their lines and lengths. New Zealand openers Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra have been watchful and have dispatched the bad balls away for boundary. There has been no lateral movement off the pitch and that could be a worry for Babar Azam and his pace attack.

10:44 AM: Action Begins
Action gets underway as Pakistan bowl to New Zealand in what promises to be a great contest between two good teams.

10:17 AM: Captain Speak
Kane Williamson: "Slightly different looking surface to what we expect here. We will try to put a competitive target and adapt to the conditions. Nice to be back out here, obviously few niggles in the camp and the guys are very excited for the challenge today. We have 2 changes. Ish Sodhi comes in for Matt Henry and I come in for Will Young. Looks like it might take some turn. For us, it's about sticking to our plans and adapting to conditions as best as we can."

Babar Azam: "We will have a bowl first because of moisture on the surface. We have good bowling and we are trying to hit good lengths and execute our plans. We have one change. Usama Mir is not playing and Hasan Ali is playing. I'm feeling good (with the form), but not been able to finish games, I will try my best to enjoy myself and looking forward to the game."

10:15 AM: Playing XIs
New Zealand (Playing XI): Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Kane Williamson(c), Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham(w), Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Trent Boult

Pakistan (Playing XI): Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam(c), Mohammad Rizwan(w), Iftikhar Ahmed, Saud Shakeel, Agha Salman, Shaheen Afridi, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Haris Rauf

10:10 AM: Hardik Pandya ruled out of the World Cup! 
Following closely the news from this morning would be the two semi-final hopefuls on the pitch today. It has now been confirmed that Hardik Pandya will miss the remainder of the World Cup due to the injury he sustained against Bangladesh in Pune. Prasidh Krishna has been roped in as his replacement by India.

10:00 AM: Toss! 
Pakistan wins the toss and chooses to bowl first. The big news is that Kane Williamson is back for New Zealand! The skipper replaces Will Young in the playing XI while Ish Sodhi comes in for Matt Henry. Just one change for Pakistan, meanwhile: Hasan Ali for Usama Mir. 

9:55 AM: Head-to-head  
New Zealand and Pakistan have clashed head-to-head in 115 ODI matches out of which the former has won 51 matches while the latter 60. Coming to the ODI World Cup both teams faced each other nine times with Pakistan dominating that particular battle 7-2.   

9:55 AM: Weather Conditions  
The weather in Bengaluru is expected to be around 29°C with 70% humidity and 68% chance of rain.

9:45 AM: Squads
Pakistan Squad: Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam(c), Mohammad Rizwan(w), Iftikhar Ahmed, Saud Shakeel, Agha Salman, Shaheen Afridi, Usama Mir, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Haris Rauf, Shadab Khan, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Nawaz, Hasan Ali

New Zealand Squad: Devon Conway, Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham(w/c), Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, James Neesham, Trent Boult, Kyle Jamieson, Ish Sodhi, Mark Chapman, Lockie Ferguson

9:43 AM: Greetings
Hello and welcome to the match coverage of New Zealand vs Pakistan at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

Preview
Hello and welcome to the New Zealand vs Pakistan, Match 35, ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, Match Blog. Wary not to let their lead slip, New Zealand head into the match against Pakistan on a downward spiral. The Kiwis, after a fast start to their campaign, have lost their last three games and would be aiming to arrest their slide before it puts them out of contention for the semi-finals. For Pakistan, it is the polar opposite; deemed to be on their way out, the Men in Green would go level with New Zealand if they win this battle - and would have momentum on their side to push for a knockout place. 

Pakistan bowling took a beating at the M Chinnaswamy stadium in Bengaluru as New Zealand led by the in-form Rachin Ravindra (108) and the returning Kane Williamson (95) to help Kiwis post over 400. Despite losing the toss, Ravindra and Williamson stitched a well-made 100-plus stand to hammer the Pakistan bowlers to all corners of the ground. Ravindra also became the first player to score three tons in his debut Cricket World Cup campaign. Shaheen Shah Afridi (0/90) and Haris Rauf (1/82) were culprits of some poor bowling and bad lengths. Babar Azam's men would need to play out of their skins if they are to achieve this record target