Nasir Jamshed (1/10): Jamshed was dismissed for a duck, trapped plumb leg-before off the bowling in the very first over of the Pakistan innings. Not only did he put the hosts in a spot of serious bother, he also jeopardized his chances for selection in the team for the upcoming ODI series in New Zealand as the World Cup.
Ahmed Shehzad (8/10): Shehzad has had a mixed series so far, having scored a century and being dismissed on a couple of ducks in the series. He rose to the occasion in the final ODI, playing a responsible innings during his stay at the crease. He hit only two boundaries during his 81-ball innings as he pulled his side out of an early trouble. The shot which got him dismissed however, was a rather disappointing one as he spooned a rather simple catch to Kane Williamson at mid-on.
Younis Khan (3/10): Younis’ 12 off 25 was perhaps the biggest disappointment in the Pakistan innings. A lot was expected from the batsman from him after his 103 in the previous game, which helped lay the foundation of a possible victory in that game.
Asad Shafiq (2/10): Shafiq failed to justify his skipper’s decision to draft him into the playing XI for the final ODI in place of Mohammad Hafeez, who was apparently going through a lack of form. The move did not yield any favourable results for the hosts. Haris Sohail (9/10): Sohail is fast cementing himself as the first-choice all-rounder for Pakistan (barring, of course, Shahid Afridi); he produced the best all-round performance in either sides in the series so far. Not only did Sohail have one of the most economical figures for his team, Sohail top-scored for his side with a knock of 65 off 74 including five boundaries and a six. He started to get aggressive towards the latter half of his innings, though that got him bowled off the bowling of Mitchell McClenaghan.
Umar Akmal (2/10): Akmal was dismissed on six to complete a rather disappointing series with the bat. Pakistan may still back him, but they would have to keep in mind his lack of consistency.
Sarfraz Ahmed (4/10): Sarfraz supported Sohail well during their 57-run stand for the sixth wicket, with Sarfraz scoring a quickfire 26 off 24 including two boundaries. Unfortunately, he fell before he could form another vital partnership with Afridi after the departure of Sohail.
Shahid Afridi (5/10): Afridi produced a fine spell of bowling conceding only 33 runs and taking a wicket from his quota of ten overs to emerge the most economical Pakistan bowler. Unfortunately, he failed to produce a similar performance with the bat. His presence in the lower-order was a reassuring thought for the Pakistanis with the wickets tumbling at regular intervals. He hit two boundaries during his nine-ball innings of 13, but his dismissal practically sealed the game for the hosts.
Anwar Ali (3/10): While Anwar’s spell in the game turned out to be a disappointment (he conceded 62 runs from 10 overs without any success) his performance with the bat was slightly more entertaining. With three fours during his 14-ball innings of 18, he was generally in the mood to go for big hits.
Zulfiqar Babar (2/10): Babar was one of the top wicket-takers during the Test series played earlier in the tour, and a lot was expected from him when he was drafted into the side for the fifth ODI in place of Sohail Tanvir. He ended up taking a solitary wicket conceding 61 runs. His batting did not really contribute.
Mohammad Irfan (6/10): Irfan was superb in his initial overs, removing New Zealand opener Martin Guptill in the third over of the match. The early dismissal helped Pakistan get the advantage, which they unfortunately could not hold on to for long. He ended with figures of two for 62.
(Amit Banerjee, a reporter at CricketCountry, takes keen interest in photography, travelling, technology, automobiles, food and, of course, cricket. He can be followed on Twitter via his handle @akb287)
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