NZ VS PAK - 3rd T20I, Pakistan tour of New Zealand, 2020-21

It's nothing new watching Kane Williamson and his juggernaut pocket yet-another series this summer, but what's new is that they've finally been beaten in a match. They aren't at full strength, they lost a premier bowler to injury in the middle, they were up against the dew, but nevertheless, they've been beaten. And at a time when they've won with a lot worse. So, that's it from us then for tonight, as I, Vineet Anantharaman, sign off on behalf of Pradeep Krishnamurthy, Akshay Maanay and our scorer, Siva. Until Christmas, and Santa, ta ta!!

Kane Williamson | Losing skipper: Pakistan played really well tonight. I thought our first innings total was a very good one, and life is tougher in the second innings but they showed their class. You have to play really well to chase a total like that. They had good partnerships and it was tough to break it. They executed their plans really well but I guess I am pretty happy with the performance of our guys. It was tough to operate with the dew and one man down, but the boys tried their best. I don't know what the injuries are just yet, but I hope they recover quickly for they are class players. But the guys showed good attitude, they stuck through it. It has been a really good T20 campaign and I'd like to take the opportunity to thank the Pakistan team for coming to our shores.

Shadab Khan | Winning skipper: We won the powerplay here and that's why we won the game. We wern't winning it in the earlier games. The way Hafeez and Rizwan played shows the character we need in our team. It was a good learning for me, we have a young team and I have learnt a lot. We made a lot of mistakes on the field and that is where we need to improve upon. The victory would boost our Test team as well. Most of our fast bowlers will take it into the Tests as well.

Tim Seifert | Player of the Series: It is good to have a good series. The main thing is to get the series win, unfortunately we couldn't win today but credit to Pakistan, they played well to win this game. It is T20, you get a couple of wickets and it is game on. I thought the surface became better with the dew coming in. Our bowlers stuck to it nicely. We had a good T20 series against the West Indies and then went into the Tests which was awesome to see, hopefully the red-ball lads can back it up and do the same, very exciting for the Boxing Day Test. We are actually playing against Pakistan A in Hamilton and it is the Super Smash after that.

Mohammad Rizwan, Player of the Match - This win is good, we lost the series, but this game was important ahead of the Tests, wanted to take some momentum going into it. Big honour for me to captain Pakistan, it's a big deal to play the country, can't express my happiness at being captain. The management has trusted me a lot; this was the first time I opened in internationals, I have done so in domestic cricket, but I knew I had it in me to perform and was well backed by the management. This win is for our supporters, they have backed us a lot.

22:46 Local Time, 09:46 GMT, 15:16 IST: Ah, Pakistan. Quite a normal day on the park, acing a chase, choking then, threatening to mess up, and then seeing it through. Again, Just Pakistan things. It's rather disappointing when they do things normally. Never mind. This one's going down as Rizwan's chase, stepping up perhaps for the first time in this format after getting a promotion over some bigger names. Younis Khan in a mid-match interveiew said he was happy to see Rizwan play anchor while the others went hard around him, but he did a bit of both himself. Anchored at the start, stepped up the gas, and kept swinging and getting everything off the middle. Hafeez gave him good company, and just when things seemed to be heading towards a simple finish with the asking rate at just above a-run-a-ball, there came the choke -- 3 overs | 4 wickets. Now a 7-ball 14 at the close might not be a big deal, but this is Pakistan, and Iftikhar Ahmed deserves serious credit. Okay, here come the presentations ..

Jamieson to Iftikhar Ahmed, SIX, go fetch. No fuss. No further scare. Jamieson digs it short, but it sits up nicely for Ahmed to heave. Oh and he heaves. Deep, long, on deep square leg's roof

3 runs | 3 balls.

Jamieson to Iftikhar Ahmed, no run, short, wide, chopped hard, but straight to backward point. Now, now now

Mohammad Hasnain, right handed bat, comes to the crease

Jamieson to Rizwan, out Caught by Conway!! Pakistan choke more. Singles would've been enough. Dots would've been accepatble. But no, Rizwan wants to go for glory, and so he swings bigtime at a short delivery rising at his head. Top-edges. And short mid-wicket doesn't mess up the skier. Rizwan c Conway b Jamieson 89(59) [4s-10 6s-3]

Jamieson to Rizwan, THATS OUT!! Caught!!

Another conference. Jamieson continues getting peppered with advice.

Jamieson to Iftikhar Ahmed, 1 run, 134kph, yorker, calmly squeezed through the covers. Okay, Rizwan's back

Kyle Jamieson [2.0-0-15-0] is back into the attack

Southee to Iftikhar Ahmed, 1 run, bouncer, Ahmed pulls to deep square leg, but the Kiwis will take it. They've got Ahmed back on strike for the final over

Mid-off is up. Mid-on is up. Deep Square leg. Cow corner.

Southee to Iftikhar Ahmed, 2 runs, 132.5kph, swivels, pulls, keeps it down, and fine leg keeps it out. Game over, surely. Surely ..

Southee to Iftikhar Ahmed, FOUR, ungainly swing, but Ahmed gets it over the fielder. Six men in the ring wth KW going ultra-attacking, and Ahmed hoicks across the line, miscues it over mid-on, and that'll do

Southee to Iftikhar Ahmed, no run, keeps out the hat-trick. Length, nipping in, and Ahmed is happy to defend