LAHORE – New Zealand on Thursday stunned Pakistan by 4 runs in the fourth Twenty20 international, taking a 2-0 lead in five-match series.

Pakistan’s performance was not up to the mark in chase. Opener Saim Ayub returned on mere 20 off 15 while skipper Babar Azam could only manage 5 runs before falling to O’Rourke as well.

Newbie Usman Khan contributed 16 runs before being caught by Jacob Duffy off Ben Sears.

The highlight of Pakistan’s innings was Fakhar Zaman’s aggressive knock of 61 runs off 45 balls, including four fours and three sixes.

However, despite some contributions from Iftikhar Ahmed (23 off 20) and Imad Wasim (22 not out off 11), Pakistan fell short of the target. They finished on 170/8, with New Zealand winning the match by 8 runs.

Player	Dismissal	Runs	Balls	Fours	Sixes	Strike Rate
Saim Ayub	c Josh Clarkson b Will O’Rourke	20	15	2	1	133.33
Babar Azam (c)	c Dean Foxcroft b Will O’Rourke	5	4	1	0	125.00
Usman Khan (Wk)	c Jacob Duffy b Ben Sears	16	11	3	0	145.45
Fakhar Zaman	c Dean Foxcroft b Ben Sears	61	45	4	3	135.56
Shadab Khan	c James Neesham b Michael Bracewell	7	8	0	0	87.50
Iftikhar Ahmed	c James Neesham b Will O’Rourke	23	20	1	1	115.00
Imad Wasim	not out	22	11	4	0	200.00
Abbas Afridi	run out (James Neesham)	1	2	0	0	50.00
Usama Mir	b James Neesham	5	3	1	0	166.67
Mohammad Amir	not out	1	1	0	0	100.00

New Zealand set a competitive total of 178/7 in the fourth T20I against Pakistan at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium. Opting to bat first, the Kiwi openers, Tim Robinson and Tom Blundell, got off to a strong start, putting on 56 runs before Blundell was dismissed for a brisk 28 off 15 balls. Robinson continued to score well, reaching his maiden T20I fifty, but wickets fell at regular intervals for New Zealand.

Despite a late flourish from captain Michael Bracewell (27 off 20), Pakistan’s bowlers, particularly Abbas Afridi who took 3/20, kept the Kiwi batsmen in check. Mohammad Amir removed Ish Sodhi on the last ball of the innings as New Zealand finished on 178/7.

Player	Runs	Balls	Fours	Sixes
Tim Robinson	51	39	6	0
Tom Blundell	28	15	5	0
Dean Foxcroft	34	27	3	0
Mark Chapman	8	10	1	0
Michael Bracewell	27	20	2	0
Josh Clarkson	0	1	0	0
Ish Sodhi	05	3	0	0
Ish Sodhi	05
Total	178/7	Overs: 20

Pakistan on Thursday won the toss and opted to bowl first in the fourth T20I against New Zealand at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore.

Men in Green made four changes as Naseem Shah, Irfan Niazi, Rizwan and Shaheen Afridi were given break.

Team Pakistan is set to roar back against New Zealand today as both sides lock horns in fourth T20I showdown at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium.

The series between Men in Green and Black Caps is at 1-1, with both sides looking for second victory. The outcome of remaining two matches in Lahore on April 25 and 27 will determine the winner of the New Zealand Tour of Pakistan series.

The first game of the 5-match series was washed off amid rain. However, in the second T20I, Asian side defeated New Zealand in a low-scoring game. Kiwis then responded strongly in the third T20I, securing a comfortable seven-wicket win at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Sunday night.

Pakistan will be without star batter and wicketkeeper Muhammad Rizwan in Thursday’s game against New Zealand due to discomfort in his right hamstring.

New Zealand, on the other hand, is missing key players, who are playing IPL.

On Wednesday, Pakistan captain Babar Azam emphasized that the team lost as a collective unit, not due to individual performances.

Babar acknowledged that their batting, bowling, and fielding had shortcomings in the last match. Azam expressed confidence in his fast bowlers Naseem Shah and Shaheen Shah Afridi, calling them Pakistan’s best bowlers, and backed them to bounce back from their recent performance.

Pakistan vs New Zealand Live Streaming, Live Score

PAKvNZ game will be available for broadcast on A-Sports and Geo Super. For online streaming, you can tune to Tamasha, Tapmad, and ARY ZAP.

Pakistan vs New Zealand Squads

Pakistan: Babar Azam(c), Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Usman Khan (wk), Haseebullah, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Abbas Afridi, Abrar Ahmed

New Zealand: Michael Bracewell (c), Tim Seifert (wk), Tim Robinson, Dean Foxcroft, Mark Chapman, James Neesham, William O’Rourke, Ish Sodhi, Ben Sears, Ben Lister, Jacob Duffy