On Wednesday, New Zealand won the T20 series against Pakistan with two games to spare with to opener Finn Allen’s record 137 off 62 balls at University Oval in Dunedin.
The Black Caps triumphed by 45 runs in game three of the five-match series, scoring 224 for seven and reducing Pakistan to 179 for seven.
It followed their victory of 46 and 21 runs in the previous two encounters.
Following up on his 74 off 21 balls in game two, the swashbuckling Allen hammered 16 sixes and five fours in a frenetic innings.
The opener’s 137 is the greatest score by a New Zealander in a T20 international, beating Brendon McCullum’s previous best of 123, and also equals Afghanistan’s Hazratullah Zazai’s global record of 16 sixes in one innings.
He dominated the bowling, taking 27 runs off Haris Rauf’s one over, including three sixes, two fours, and a single.
Rauf allowed 60 in four overs, while Mohammad Nawaz threw up 44 and Shaheen Afridi 43 on Pakistan’s poor bowling day.
Following Devon Conway’s early removal for seven, Allen and Tim Seifert put up 125 for the second wicket, with Seifert only contributing 31 as he chose singles to keep the hard-hitting opening on strike.
The umpires had to call for new balls three times after Allen smashed rockets into the ground.
The opener was finally undone in the 18th over, when he was bowled by an off-cutter from Zaman Khan, who cheered the New Zealand batsman as he departed the field.
In response, Pakistan never seemed to come close to the requisite 11.25 run rate.
They reached 95 for two in the eleventh over, but a string of wickets derailed their pursuit, ending in four for 39 runs.
Babar Azam top-scored with 58 off 37 deliveries, while Mohammad Nawaz added 28 off 15 in a late cameo.
The remaining two matches will take place in Christchurch on Friday and Sunday.