AUCKLAND, Feb 5 (AP): Jesse Ryder hit six sixes in an innings of 107 and Hamish Bennett took 4-46 to spur New Zealand to a 57-run win in the sixth one-day international today.
Pakistan won the series
3-2 � the second match was washed out � but New Zealand gained valuable confidence ahead of this month�s World Cup with only it�s second win in its past 16 completed one-dayers.
New Zealand made 311-7 batting first, helped by Ryder�s second century in one-day internationals and a blazing 120-run stand between half century-makers Scott Styris and Nathan McCullum.
Pakistan lost early wickets in its run chase and was all out for 254 in 44.1 overs with Kamran Akmal top-scoring with 89.
Ryder, batting No. 3 after Brendon McCullum was promoted to open, reached his century from 82 balls, holding together the New Zealand innings after Pakistan had won the toss and bowled. New Zealand�s innings briefly flagged after Ryder was out in the 36th over, producing only 50 runs in the next 10 overs.
�It was good to get a few out of the middle of the bat today,� Ryder said. �I was dropped down to three (in the batting order) but it was a good position to get runs and it turned out to be a good day for me.�
Styris and McCullum regained the lost momentum in an outstanding partnership for the sixth wicket which ended when McCullum was out to the second-to-last ball of the innings. McCullum made 65 from 50 balls with seven fours and three sixes and Styris was left 58 not out from 44 balls after running out Kyle Mills from the final ball.
New Zealand was 240-5 when the powerplay began, looking unlikely to reach 300, but McCullum and Styris transformed the innings, battering 11 runs from the first powerplay over, 13 from the second, 19 from the third and 14 from the fourth and fifth.
Shahid Afridi, who was confirmed yesterday as Pakistan�s World Cup captain - winning that role ahead of test captain Misbah ul-Haq who was omitted from today�s lineup - employed unusual bowling and fielding combinations during the powerplay.
SCORECARD
New Zealand Innings: Guptill c Gul b Razzaq 44, B McCullum c Akmal b Tanvir 12, Ryder c Sohail b Hafeez 107, Taylor c Akmal b Razzaq 5, Franklin c Akmal b Akhtar 8, Styris not out 58, N McCullum c Shehzad b Hafeez 65, Mills run out 0; Extras: (LB 3, W 8,NB 1) 12; Total: (for seven wickets in 50 overs) 311; Fall of wickets: 1-18, 2-144, 3-153, 4-174, 5-190, 6-310, 7-311; Bowling: Akhtar 7-1-38-1, Tanvir 8-0-78-1, Gul 9-0-61-0, Hafeez 9-0-57-2, Afridi 10-0-51-0, Razzaq 7-0-23-2.
Pakistan Innings: Hafeez c Franklin b Bennett 21, Shehzad c sub (How) b Mills 6, Akmal c Taylor b Franklin 89, Younis c B McCullum b Bennett 16, Shafiq run out 26, U Akmal c B McCullum b Franklin 8, Afridi c N McCullum b Bennett 44, Razzaq c Taylor b Franklin 1, Tanvir run out 30, Gul c sub (How) b Bennett 1, Akhtar not out 2; Extras: (LB-3,W-6,NB-1) 10; Total: (all out in 44.1 overs) 254; Fall of wickets: 1-4, 2-31, 3-58, 4-132, 5-150, 6-180, 7-183, 8-241, 9-251, 10-254; Bowling: Mills 8-1-30-1, Southee 8-0-47-0, Bennett 8.1-0-46-4, Woodcock 3-0-27-0, N McCullum 4-0-24-0, Styris 5-0-27-0, Franklin 8-0-50-3.
