Sport

Black Caps beat Pakistan by seven wickets

11:57 am on 2 February 2015

New Zealand have beaten Pakistan by seven wickets in the first one-day cricket match in Wellington, after being set 211 for victory.

Grant Elliott celebrates his half century. Photo: Photosport

Ross Taylor and Grant Elliott combined in an unbeaten 112-run partnership for the fourth wicket to win the match for New Zealand with more than 10 overs to spare.

Taylor remained unbeaten on 59, while Elliott scored an unbeaten 64 as the Black Caps made 213 for three.

Elliott was named Man of the Match for his three wickets and his score with the bat.

Returning captain Brendon McCullum was caught for 17 at the start of the fourth over, after the Black Caps got off to a good start to their run chase.

Then Tom Latham was caught for 23.

Earlier New Zealand had restricted Pakistan to 210 all out, with the tourists scoring just over four-and-a-half runs an over.

See live commentary of the one-dayer here

Ehsan Adil was the last of Pakistan's wicket to fall halfway through the 46th over, caught for six off Grant Elliott.

Shahid Afridi top-scored with 67 for Pakistan, after he was dropped by Brendon McCullum while he was on 14, Afridi making the hosts pay before he finally fell to Adam Milne, who also came back into the side after injury.

After winning the toss and choosing to bowl, veteran paceman Kyle Mills bowled opening batsman Mohammad Hafeez for a duck with the final ball of the first over.

Kyle Mills is congratulated after bowling Mohammad Hafeez in the first over Photo: Photosport

Then Trent Boult enticed Ahmed Shehzad to clip one behind to the wicketkeeper for 15, before Mills struck again to remove Younis Khan lbw for nine.

Corey Anderson got in on the act, snaring Haris Sohail caught for 23, and fellow all-rounder Elliott chimed in by bowling Umar Akmal for 13, before Anderson claimed his second wicket, Sarfraz Ahmed caught for five.

Boult got his second too, Bilawal Bhatti going for a duck to become Martin Guptill's third catch of the match.

McCullum returned as captain for New Zealand, after sitting out the 34-run defeat in the final match of the seven-game ODI series against Sri Lanka, also in Wellington.

Mohammad Irfan celebrates taking the wicket of Martin Guptill. Photo: Photosport

Tim Southee, Kane Williamson, Daniel Vettori and Mitchell McClenaghan sat this match out.

The hosts won the Sri Lanka series 4-2.

New Zealand:

Brendon McCullum (captain)

Corey Anderson

Trent Boult

Grant Elliott

Martin Guptill

Tom Latham

Nathan McCullum

Kyle Mills

Adam Milne

Luke Ronchi (wicketkeeper)

Ross Taylor