Fakhar 117, Imam fifty take Pakistan 1-0 up against New Zealand

Fakhar Zaman’s ninth ODI hundred and a phenomenally frugal bowling performance by Naseem Shah helped Pakistan ease to a five-wicket win over New Zealand in the first ODI in Rawalpindi. In the process, they brought up their 500th ODI win, the third team to do so; the 949 games they took makes them the second quickest to the landmark after Australia, who managed the feat in 811 matches.

Set 289 to win, Pakistan were never in serious danger of falling short after a 124-run opening stand between Fakhar and Imam-ul-Haq. Forty-nine from captain Babar Azam and a cameo lower down the order by wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan helped them get over the line in the 49th over and take a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.

Brief scores:

Pakistan 291 for 5 (Fakhar Zaman 117, Imam-ul-Haq 60, Babar Azam 49, Mohammad Rizwan 42*, Adam Milne 2-60) beat New Zealand 288 for 7 (Daryl Mitchell 113, Will Young 86, Naseem Shah 2-29) by 5 wickets