PAK vs NZ Tri-Nation Series Final: William O'Rourke, Daryl Mitchell star as New Zealand beat Pakistan by 5 wickets in Karachi, win title

New Zealand clinched the tri-nation title by defeating the hosts, Pakistan, by five wickets in the final match held in Karachi on Friday. This win gives them a significant boost as they gear up for the upcoming Champions Trophy.

Seamer Will O’Rourke played a key role in New Zealand's success, taking 4-43 and leading a disciplined bowling attack. They managed to bowl out the hosts for 242 runs with just three balls left in their innings.

Daryl Mitchell (57) and Tom Latham (56) both contributed half-centuries, helping New Zealand comfortably chase down the target with 28 balls to spare, remaining unbeaten throughout the tournament, which also included South Africa.

Pakistan, batting first, struggled to form partnerships and lost wickets at critical times. Although there was a promising 88-run partnership between skipper Mohammad Rizwan (46) and Salman Agha (45) for the fourth wicket, finding boundaries proved difficult.

Tayyab Tahir (38) and Faheem Ashraf (22) added some valuable runs towards the end, but Pakistan stumbled in the final overs, losing their last five wickets for just 47 runs and finishing with a disappointing total.

New Zealand captain Mitchell Santner bowled a tight spell, giving away only 20 runs in his 10 overs while taking two wickets.

While Pakistan's fast bowler Naseem Shah made an early breakthrough by dismissing opener Will Young, New Zealand's top-order batsmen, aided by Pakistan's fielding mistakes and poor review decisions, kept the chase steady.

Despite Pakistan's attempts to stage a comeback by removing Devon Conway (48) and Kane Williamson (34), they couldn't take full advantage of these breakthroughs. Their missed chances, including a wasted review on an lbw appeal against Williamson and a failure to review a clear lbw against Latham, proved to be costly.

Latham's lucky streak ended when Abrar took a catch in the deep, resulting in a sprained neck. However, it was too late for the hosts, as New Zealand was closing in on victory.

Also read| WPL 2025: Richa Ghosh stars as RCB beat Gujarat Giants in opener; records highest-ever run chase in Women’s Premier League history