New Zealand beat Pak
to win series

Openers Stephen Fleming and Nathan Astle shared a New Zealand limited-overs record partnership of 193 as their side won the five-match series against Pakistan 3-2 on Wednesday.

New Zealand won the fifth and deciding one-day match by four wickets, dismissing Pakistan for 285 in 49.3 of their 50 overs and scoring 290 for six off 48.1 overs.

The opening stand between Fleming and Astle was a New Zealand record for any wicket, beating the 180 amassed by Adam Parore and Ken Rutherford for the third wicket against India at Baroda in 1994-95.

Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar broke down and limped from the field after bowling five overs, indicating to captain Moin Khan he had again injured his upper left thigh.

He went off after the 21st over but subsequently returned to action in the 41st over and jolted New Zealand by dispatching Lou Vincent and Adam Parore with consecutive balls.

Shoaib's double strike left Zealand on 252 for six, but Chris Harris and Jacob Oram steered their side home with an unbroken seventh wicket stand of 38.

Scoreboard

Pakistan
Saeed Anwar c Parore b Franklin 12
Shahid Afridi c Parore b Harris 65
Abdur Razzaq c Parore b Tuffey 41
Yousuf Youhana lbw McMillan 68
Imran Farhat c Vettori b McMillan 33
Saleem Elahi c Astle b Oram 14
Moin Khan c Astle b Oram 36
Wasim Akram b McMillan 6
Azhar Mahmood c Tuffey b Oram 0
Waqar Younis run out (McMillan) 2
Shoaib Akhtar not out 0
Extras (W1, NB5, LB2) 8
Total (all out, 49.3 overs) 285
Fall of wickets: 1-43, 2-91, 3-157, 4-225, 5-226, 6-259, 7-281, 8-282, 9-285 Bowling: Tuffey 9-0-71-2 (nb-2), Franklin 8-0-54-1 (nb-2), Oram 9-0-49-2 (nb-1), Harris 10-0-32-1, Vettori 10-0-57-0 (w-1), McMillan 3.3-0-20-3.

New Zealand
S.Fleming b Waqar 60
N.Astle c Elahi b Waqar 119
R.Twose c Afridi b Akram 17
C.McMillan c Elahi b Waqar 13
L.Vincent c Afridi b Akhtar 12
C.Harris not out 14
A.Parore b Akhtar 0
J.Oram not out 16
Extras (W25, NB5, LB8, B1) 39
Total (for six wickets, 48.1 overs) 290
Did not bat: D.Vettori, J.Franklin, D.Tuffey
Fall of wickets: 1-193, 2-213, 3-234, 4-251, 5-252, 6-252.
Bowling: Akram 10-0-44-1 (w-7 nb-1), Waqar 10-1-66-3 (w-2), Akhtar 9.1-0-67-2 (w-13 nb-3), Mahmood 10-0-63-0 (w-2 nb-1), Razzaq 7-0-26-0 (w-1), Afridi 2-0-15-0

Result: New Zealand won by four wickets.
New Zealand won the series 3-2.
Man of the match: Nathan Astle

Mail Cricket Editor