Pakistan won by 21 runs - DLS method
PLAYER OF THE MATCH : Fakhar Zaman
Batter
Bowler
Trust Pakistan to throw up a surprise or two when you least expect it. So here they are again, still not out of it, and still taking their fight right to the end. Will the stars align for them to go through? That's all from us here. You can switch to our coverage of England v Australia, which is another crucial game in the scheme of things. Cheers and goodbye!
Babar: When we came to the dressing room, just passed message we need good partnerships. Said to Fakhar if he plays 15 overs we'll be ahead. Back of the mind we knew rain was coming. Full credit to Fakhar. We knew there was a short boundary and utilised it. We're just trying to give 100 percent. You never know. We're just going match by match.
Williamson: Obviously a nice first half. Weather played its part but can't take away from Pakistan. Zaman - the ground wasn't big enough for him. They played exceptionally well and gave themselves every chance. Match getting shortened brings both teams closer together. Would've been nice to have the full 50. Was tricky to protect the shorter side. Full credit, they deserved the result today. I thought the contributions throughout were great. Clearly a very good surface. Can be tough on the bowlers sometimes. Rachin is batting absolutely beautifully. There's always small margins with the ball. If you get a wicket or two, you can take the short side out of it with the left-right combo. But we couldn't do that.
Fakhar Zaman | Player of the Match: We were chasing 400 and that was our plan, just to see off the first 4 overs and thankfully it was my day. To be honest, I was lucky a few times but really enjoyed this innings. We know every game is a do or die for us and we have decided to play aggressively and we are playing with that mind so everybody is just trying to score runs. This is one of the best (knocks in ODI cricket) but I will always rank my 193 in South Africa highly, but I really enjoyed this game and New Zealand are a great side, so definitely one of the best. We were also praying that we don't want any more game to happen (while waiting anxiously in the dressing room during the rain break) because it was already 9 and half hours and we knew that DLS would come into the equation. We wanted to play with that aggressive mindset and we will play aggressively in the next game also.
All stats dug up by Shashikant Singh
Most sixes by a Pakistan batter in an ODI innings
11 - Fakhar Zaman vs NZ, Bengaluru, today*
11 - Shahid Afridi vs SL, Nairobi, 1996
10 - Abdul Razzaq vs SA, Abu Dhabi, 2010
10 - Fakhar Zaman vs SA, Jo'burg, 2021
Ten or more sixes by a batter in a World Cup innings
17 - Eoin Morgan vs AFG, Manchester, 2019
16 - Chris Gayle vs ZIM, Canberra, 2015
11 - Martin Guptill vs WI, Wellington, 2015
11 - Fakhar Zaman vs NZ, Bengaluru, today*
Most sixes by Pakistan in a World Cup innings
16 vs Zimbabwe, Kingston, 2007
13 vs New Zealand, Bengaluru, today*
10 vs UAE, Napier, 2015
9 vs Afghanistan, Chennai, 2023
9 vs Bangladesh, Kolkata, 2023
Most sixes for Pakistan in a World Cup edition
18 - Fakhar Zaman in 2023*
9 - Imran Nazir in 2007
9 - Abdullah Shafique in 2023
8 - Iftikhar Ahmed in 2023
7 - Misbah Ul Haq in 2015
Highest scores for Pakistan in ODI World Cups
160 - Imran Nazir vs ZIM, Kingston, 2007
131* - Mohammad Rizwan vs SL, Hyderabad, 2023
126* - Fakhar Zaman vs NZ, Bengaluru, today*
119* - Rameez Raja vs NZ, Christchurch, 1992
Highest partnership for Pakistan in ODI World Cups (any wkts)
194 - Saeed Anwar & W Wasti vs NZ, Manchester, 1999
194* - Fakhar Zaman & Babar Azam vs NZ, Bengaluru, today*
176 - Abdullah Shafique & M Rizwan vs SL, Hyderabad, 2023
167 - Ramiz Raja & Saleem Malik vs ENG, Karachi, 1987
We could've had an absolute classic on our hands today if not for the rain. Still, this is quite the achievement for Pakistan. Who would've backed them to come out on top when New Zealand posted over 400 on the board? But Fakhar Zaman came out and went on a rampage, smashing the fastest World Cup hundred by a Pakistan player to leave his team well ahead on DLS before the rain came. He didn't stop there either. It was imperative for Pakistan to not lose any wickets in the short period of play after the first rain break, which would've significantly altered DLS calculations. Not only did they achieve that, Fakhar even belted a few more sixes off Sodhi to take them even further ahead. He was just severe on spin - be it Santner, Sodhi or Phillips, and nothing seemed to work against him in that kind of mood.
19:23 Local Time, 13:53 GMT: Play called off and Pakistan win! A sensational result in Bangalore that keeps them alive in the tournament, and keeps the race for the semis still open. On the other hand, the defeat for New Zealand also means that South Africa become the second team to qualify. But there are two spots still up for grabs.
19:18 Local Time, 13:48 GMT: Rain is picking up again and it's hard to see this game resuming now. What a result this would be.
19:11 Local Time, 13:41 GMT: Still drizzling...We might get an official word anytime now
18:59 Local Time, 13:29 GMT: A steady drizzle continues to fall and it's not looking great as far as a resumption is concerned. The cut-off time is 7.40pm.
18:43 Local Time, 13:13 GMT: Rain getting heavier
18:37 Local Time, 13:07 GMT: Started to rain again. It is heavy enough to stop play. The players are going off and the covers are on. Pakistan are well ahead of the DLS par score. They had to be 179 at this stage and are ahead by 21 runs. We will keep losing overs now. All the buffer time has been used up. But Azam and Zaman are still in the dugout, they are hopeful of a quick restart. Let's see..
Mitchell to Babar Azam, no run, off-cutter outside off, Azam cuts on the bounce to backward point
Mitchell to Fakhar Zaman, 1 run, slower delivery, Zaman pats it with soft hands to cover-point