‘India se toh dono hi haar gaye’ – Fans react as Pakistan beat New Zealand by 21 runs via DLS method in ODI WC 2023

Pakistan won the match against New Zealand in the ODI World Cup 2023. Despite conceding a whopping 401 runs in their first innings, Pakistan won the match by 21 runs according to the DLS method. The rain gods interrupted the game in the second innings and made life difficult for the players. During the second interruption, there was no other option but to end the match in Pakistan’s favour.

Pakistan captain Babar Azam won the toss and elected to bowl first. In hindsight, it turned out to be a masterstroke, considering the interruption of rain. But before that happened, there was a run-fest in Bengaluru. New Zealand scored a mammoth total of 401 runs in their 50 overs. The stars of their innings were Rachin Ravindra and Kane Williamson, who batted brilliantly.

Ravindra scored the third hundred of the tournament. In his stay in the middle, the youngster scored 108 runs in 94 balls. On the other hand, Williamson made a good comeback to the side by scoring 95 runs in 79 balls. With some good finishing from the likes of Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, and Mitchell Santner, New Zealand scored a total of 401 runs on the board.

Fakhar Zaman’s show gives Pakistan the upper hand

Chasing a mammoth total of 402 runs, Pakistan lost Abdullah Shafique early, who scored 4(9). What followed it was the batting masterclass from Fakhar. The Southpaw hammered the bowlers for fun. The opener hit some monstrous sixes and enjoyed batting in the middle. In the process, Zaman scored his hundred in just 63 balls, making him the fastest batter to get to the milestone from Pakistan in the ODI World Cup.

Babar Azam from the other end gave good support to Zaman. The duo ensured that Pakistan was ahead of New Zealand in the run chase according to the DLS method. During the first interruption, Pakistan was 10 runs ahead of the par score. In the second and the longest interruption, Pakistan was 21 runs ahead of the DLS par score, which eventually fetched them the win. Fakhar’s knock helped him get the Player of the Match award.

Here’s how the fans reacted to the news –