Pakistan 177/6 (Rizwan 89, Southee 2/25)
New Zealand 173/7 (Conway 63, Ashraf 3/20)
Pakistan have managed to avoid a Twenty20 series whitewash with a well-paced win over the Blackcaps in the final match of the series in Napier.
Responding to New Zealand's total of 173/7, the tourists were able to put together partnerships and compile their chase clinically against a Blackcaps attack that lacked its typical sting, particularly after spinner Ish Soshi was forced from the field with a hamstring injury.
Opener Mohammad Rizwan was the star for the tourists, blasting 89 runs from 59 balls and almost batting through the entire innings.
Tim Southee took consecutive wickets in the 19th over to give NZ hope, but Pakistan remained assured in the face of pressure, leaving Iftikhar Ahmed to send a six sailing into the stands with the equation sitting at three from three.
Devon Conway was the best of the NZ batsmen with 63 runs from 45 balls, while Tim Seifert was named player of the series.
Watch the video above for highlights.
20th over - Four runs from six balls for victory. Jamieson is entrusted with the duties for NZ. One run to put Rizwan on strike. WICKET - Rizwan sends it into the stars and the star with the bat, Conway, takes a great catch to send the dangerman packing.
Mohammad Rizwan c Conway b Jamieson 89 (59b 10x4 3x6)
Dot ball! Three from three.
SIXER FOR THE WIN! Iftikhar sends it out of the park to clinch victory for his side. That's a walk-off.
19th over - WICKET - Southee gets Faheem fishing for a wide one from his first delivery and he edges through to Seifert.
Faheem Ashraf c †Seifert b Southee 2 (3b 0x4 0x6)
WICKET - Shadab goes fishing again and that's two in two balls! Game on.
Shadab Khan c †Seifert b Southee 0 (1b 0x4 0x6)
Hat trick ball.....he gets a dot. Pakistan need 11 from 9. Iftikhar swings hard at one, doesn't time it but clears the infield and reaches the rope. Valuable boundary. 7 from 8 needed. Clears it deep again, two more runs.
18th over - 24 from 18 required. Boult to bowl. Overthrows, double off the first ball. Then an almost a double wide from Boult. Beats the bat with the slower ball. Rizwan kneels and pulls over square leg for four more. Hooks in the air but it bounces safely, just one run taken. Full toss dispatched, one bounce for four. Very close to a six.
17th over - That last over has pulled it back for Pakistan, who are now in the drivers seat. 37 runs from 24 balls required and wickets in hand. Neesham takes the ball. Khushdil slams one down the ground for four, another excellent start to the over for the tourists. WICKET - Mitchell steps up to take yet another catch, this time at deep point. How much will that slow the Pakistani roll?
Khushdil Shah c sub (DJ Mitchell) b Neesham 13 (10b 2x4 0x6)
Couple of singles follow. Sixer! Rizwan steps up to relieve some pressure again, back in the crease and bangs it over square leg.
16th over - Kuggeleijn has been NZ's best and he's back for his final over. Khushdil swings the first ball for four, pulling over mid wicket. Rizwan digs one out and over mid-off for four. Kapow! This one goes up into the lights and over long on for six. Rizwan is seeing it like a beach ball now.
15th over - Southee returns for NZ. Mitchell dives, slides and saves two runs on the boundary. He's having a blinder in the field, is the substitute.
14th over - Boom! Rizwan sends Kuggeleijn's first ball into the Graeme Lowe Stand. WICKET - Huge blow, NZ really needed to break that partnership and Hafeez is on his way after being caught in the deep.
Mohammad Hafeez c sub (DJ Mitchell) b Kuggeleijn 41 (29b 2x4 3x6)
Finishes a key over with two dots.
13th over - Neesham again. Razwan brings up his first T20 international 50. Measured knock from the opener. Hafeez blasts one square, off the roof it bounces for six. Quick single, Astle scoops and hits the stumps with the diving throw but no danger fo Pakistan, safely home.
12th over - Boult returns to the bowling crease. First ball just evades the outstretched hand of Williamson, four runs. Rizwan just spanks a forehander through cover for four more. That was disrespectful. Wide down leg, Seifert appeals in vein. Another wide from Boult, this one over the batsman's head.
11th over - NZ were 76/3 at the some stage of their innings. This should be interesting. Neesham again now. Tidy over, just five from it.
10th over - Jamieson relieves the injured Sodhi, back into the attack he comes. Astle does well to cut off a boundary. Rizwan helps an angling ball on its way to the fence, too much leg-side fare from the NZ bowlers tonight.
9th over - Neesham into the attack. Hafeez hoists a poor short ball behind square for six. Nine off the over.
8th over - Kuggeleijn back. Here's THAT catch from his last over. Ripper.
Hafeez off his pads, Sodhi pursuing but can't quite get there. Four runs. The spinner immediately clutches for his hamstring and signals he needs to leave the field, so we'll have a second sub fielder in Todd Astle on to the park.
7th over - Sodhi in for our first taste of spin. Nice and tight to start, just six off the over.
6th over - Kuggeleijn takes the ball for his first over. Dropped! Really tough chance at point, but a chance nonetheless. Hit really hard, but Guptill will think he should've taken that. He's hurt his hand too, straight off the park. WICKET - Having just come on to the park, Mitchell leaps full extension to grab a highlight-reel one-handed catch at mid wicket.
Haider Ali c sub (DJ Mitchell) b Kuggeleijn 11 (9b 1x4 0x6)
Hafeez pulls for six to get off the mark.
5th over - Pakistan finding a rhythm here, NZ need a wicket. Rizwan flicks Jamieson's first ball to fine leg, one bounce for four. The big man responds with four dots, but the final one is pulled behind square for four by Rizwan.
4th over - Southee into his second. Rizwan stands and drives straight, picture perfect to the boundary. Follows that two balls later by pulling square for four. Single to end an 11-run over.
3rd over - Boult is back. Single to start. Digs in with a short one, somehow it isn't called a wide. Haider frees his arms and blasts one over mid wicket for four. Well-run double to finish an eight-run over.
2nd over - Southee to the bowling crease. Half-hearted LBW shout. Right into his length here, three dots. Quick single taken. Just two off the over.
1st over - Boult takes the ball to open for NZ. Rizwan tucked up and almost chops on, forced to kick that one away from the stumps. Rizwan square cuts neatly for four. Good start for Pakistan, nine from the over.
The Blackcaps had aimed for 160-odd on this pitch, so they should be relatively happy.
Newcomer Devon Conway was the star of the show for the Blackcaps, anchoring the innings with a superb 63 off 45 balls.
Join us for the Pakistan chase shortly.
20th over - Final over! Full toss over waist height from Haris, starts with a no ball. Southee can't cash in on the free hit. Swings the next one skyward, keeper and two others go back for it and none of them attempt a catch. Shocker. WICKET - Conway hits one thin and it's easily taken, brings a fantastic innings to an end.
DP Conway c Shadab Khan b Haris Rauf 63 (45b 7x4 1x6)
Southee wrangles to doubles to close the innings.
19th over - Kuggeleijn does well to scopp one off his pads for four, ideal start to the over for NZ. Bang! Next one goes square for six. WICKET - Kuggeleijn goes for three straight but doesn't time this one, caught at mid-on. Tidy cameo of an innings.
SC Kuggeleijn c Iftikhar Ahmed b Shaheen Shah Afridi 14 (6b 1x4 1x6)
Conway carves one over extra cover for four.
18th over - Conway starts proceedings with a cut for four. NZ need much more of that. Conway obliges with another effortless flick off his pads, timed that perfectly for six and his half-century. Kuggelijn goes straight for four to finish the over.
17th over - Faheem begins with a precious dot. WICKET - Neesham holes out to mid off. Momentum really on Pakistan's side here.
JDS Neesham c Shadab Khan b Faheem Ashraf 2 (4b 0x4 0x6)
Handful of singles to close the over.
16th over - Time to pick up the pace for NZ. They're currently on track for a total of 160. Hasnain back into the attack. Beats the bat for two dot balls to start. Conway responds with a pull for four.
15th over - WICKET - Shaheen makes an immediate impact, as Phillips doesn't pick the slower ball and lofts one high and down the throat of long off.
GD Phillips c Haris Rauf b Shaheen Shah Afridi 31 (20b 4x4 0x6)
Conway with his best shot of the day, all class with the cover drive for four. Action replay the following ball for four more.
14th over - Hasnain making things difficult for the NZ batsmen with some excellent variation. 50-run partnership up off 39 balls. Four off the over, superb stuff from Hasnain.
13th over - Phillips cuts late, misfield gifts him four. Carbon copy for Phillips, back to the point boundary it goes. Now he pulls to the fence to round out a great over for NZ.
12th over - NZ run rate down to just 7.36. Phillips miscues Haris and again, it falls to safety. Got away with one there. The setting is sun is really piercing through the main stand and obstructing both bowlers and batsmen - the umpires opt to take a respite in play to allow it to drop. Timely break here for the Blackcaps, but we're back into the action fairly quickly. Nicely weighted cut from Phillips for four to end the over.
11th over - Big shout for LBW to start the over, Conway on his knee looking to sweep and struck on his front pad. Shadab decides to review...looks to have been a slight knick, and it was likely drifting wide anyway. Not out. Great over Shadab, put the clamps on and concedes just 5 runs.
10th over - Conway starts the over by advancing and lofting Faheem over mid-wicket, one bounce and into the fence. Repeats the dose the next ball but this time cuts square, well fielded on the boundary.
9th over - Shadab's spin returns. Afridi dives and does well to save a Phillips drive from reaching the rope. Phillips takes a big sweep at one and sends it sky-high, somehow it falls safely between three converging fielders.
8th over - Faheem to continue, as the shadows get longer at McLean Park. WICKET - Bowled him! Nips one back to take the top of the dangerman's off stump.
TL Seifert b Faheem Ashraf 35 (20b 2x4 3x6)
7th over - Skipper Shadab up for the first over of spin. Seifert welcomes him with a sweep for six over square leg.
6th over - Faheem takes the ball for his first over. WICKET - Williamson tries to cut one that was too close and succeeds only in chopping it on to his stumps. Huge scalp for the Pakistanis.
KS Williamson b Faheem Ashraf 1 (4b 0x4 0x6)
5th over - Haris into the attack. Guptill gives himself room and blasts one straight down the ground for six. WICKET - Guptill mistimes a cover drive and it's straight down Shadab's throat at mid-off.
MJ Guptill c Shadab Khan b Haris Rauf 19 (16b 2x4 1x6)
Williamson to the crease. Seifert on-drives, poor fielding gifts him a boundary.
4th over - Guptill plays one off his hip down to fine leg for four. Seifert stands tall and just clobbers a baseball-slug over long-off for six.
3rd over - Seifert whips one off his pads, they'll come back for three. Guptill attempts to loft one over long on but doesn't quite time it, two runs nonetheless. Guptill pulls, one bounce for four.
2nd over - Hasnain opens from the other end for Pakistan. Some good movement off the pitch. Seifert dances down the pitch and lances Husnain over cover for six. Beauty.
1st over - Glorious cover drive from the in-form Seifert. Ominous signs early.
6:40pm - The NZ lineup is unchanged from the second T20, while Imad rests for Pakistan.
New Zealand: 1 Martin Guptill 2 Tim Seifert (wk) 3 Kane Williamson (capt) 4 Devon Conway 5 Glenn Phillips 6 James Neesham 7 Kyle Jamieson 8 Ish Sodhi 9 Scott Kuggeleijn 10 Tim Southee 11 Trent Boult
Pakistan: 1 Haider Ali 2 Mohammad Rizwan (wk) 3 Shadab Khan (capt) 4 Mohammad Hafeez 5 Hussain Talat 6 Khushdil Shah 7 Iftikhar Ahmed 8 Faheem Ashraf 9 Mohammad Hasnain 10 Haris Rauf 11 Shaheen Afridi
6:35pm - The Blackcaps have lost the toss and will bat first.
That's three straight correct calls for the Pakistanis, and the first time they've elected to take the ball first.
Kia ora and welcome to live updates of the Blackcaps, as they look to complete a 3-0 sweep of their Twenty20 international series against Pakistan in Napier.
Live commentary will begin from around 7pm.
TAB head-to-head
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Pre-match banter
Red-hot Blackcaps out to maintain momentum
By James Regan
The Blackcaps are proving to be an unstoppable force across all formats so far this summer and have no intention of taking their foot off the gas.
Sunday's nine-wicket win over Pakistan wraps up the Twenty20 series with a game to spare.
But with two crucial tests around the corner, coach Gary Stead knows how important maintaining that momentum will be for his side.
"Very pleased," says Stead of his team's performance in Hamilton.
"I thought the way the openers laid the platform at the start with Tim and Martin...setting the tempo of the way we wanted to play."
The fast start had Stead's side largely in cruise control, with plenty of individual standouts - most notably Tim Seifert, whose controlled 84 not out not only set the platform for victory, but showed his maturity as an opener.
"It just gives you confidence that you can perform at this level consistently," Seifert says.
"All you can ask from the players is that they learn from previous experiences and that's certainly something Tim talked about with us," assesses Stead.
Paceman Tim Southee dominated with the ball taking four wickets, as the premier bowling attack returned, showing once again the depth that Stead has at his disposal.
"We want to make sure that we take some momentum and tempo into that test series as well so we certainly won't be taking anything for granted."
