Pak NZ ODI 3: New Zealand Survive Aamer Scare To Win By Seven Runs!

At half time between innings, New Zealand did not stand a chance of winning. At the half way point during Pakistan’s innings, Pakistan did not stand a chance. But the drama started thereafter.
The third and final ODI of the Cool and Cool Pakistan New Zealand series witnessed a dramatic topsy turvy match in Abu Dhabi that looked to be going in circles.
Brendon McCullum’s innings gave New Zealand a whirlwind start. But it came to a grinding halt at the thirty over mark. Then, left to chase just 212 for a series win, Pakistan made a right royal mess of it.
Pakistan’s collapse was so dramatic, one would only shudder to imagine what more match fixing allegations would emerge in the immediate aftermath. Pakistan captain, Younis Khan, was involved in one run out and then, fell to Shane Bond himself to leave Pakistan at three down for fifty-one in 11.1 overs.
Thereafter the seemingly comfortable win was starting to look a little wobbly. By the twenty-first over, New Zealand were beginning to looked dazed sighting a victory, the reason being Shahid Afridi’s wicket to Jacob Oram for just five.
The crowds started to fill out as Pakistan lost their eighth wicket for eighty-six, that of Abdul Razzaq in only the twenty-fourth over. Exactly ten overs later the nails in the coffin awaited the final knock down with Pakistan nine down for 101.
But wait a minute, the fat lady was yet to sing. And she took a long time getting to the pitch.
In the meantime, seventeen year old bowling sensation, Mohammed Aamer, decided to try his hand with the bat. Supporting him in this bizarre task was a man almost twice his age, Saeed Ajmal, who had spun the New Zealand batsmen in his web earlier not knowing that Pakistan would weave one of their own.
Aamer’s batting gained ground even as Ajmal chipped in with a thirty-three runs from forty-four balls innings. But Aamer dominated the show and New Zealand were once again beginning to see starts as the final tenth wicket partnership grew to a hundred run partnership. Alongwith it grew Pakistan’s score and Aamer’s innings to seventy-three runs, the highest by a No.10 batsmen in the history of the one day game, surpassing Douglas Marillier (the Zimbabwean whose scoop has now been perfected by Sri Lanka’s Tillekeratne Dilshan) who scored sixty-three runs while tormenting India in 2002 at Faridabad.
Needing just eight runs off the final over, fortune seemed to favour the brave and New Zealand’s frustration grew to annoyance to sheer dismay thinking they had somehow let this match out of their hands. But then came the ball they had been waiting for since the thirty-fourth over. Oram’s delivery resulted in Ajmal trying one lofty stroke too much and Kyle Mills dived to take the clean catch to give New Zealand a narrow win by seven runs to win the series 2-1.
Daniel Vettori, the New Zealand captain, was beginning to feel relieved rather than excited as did most of the New Zealand team as the storm in the desert finally came to pass.