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New Zealand continued their good run in white ball cricket, thrashing Pakistan by nine wickets in the first of five Twenty20 internationals in Christchurch on Sunday.
Pakistan’s batting crumbled against the home side's pace attack and were all out for 91 in 18.4 overs, their fifth-lowest total in T20 Internationals.
In reply, New Zealand easily chased down the total, getting to 92 for 1 in just 10.1 overs.
Tim Seifert led the Kiwis charge, scoring 44 off 29 balls, and Finn Allen hit up 29 off 17.
Tim Robinson, 18 not out, took two runs from the first ball of the 11th over to complete victory.
First time captain Salman Ali Agha led a new-look team into the match which followed Pakistan's poor performance at home in the 50-overs Champions Trophy.
“It was obviously difficult and we weren't up to the mark,” Ali Agha said after the match.
"They bowled really well. They were bowling in the right areas and there was swing and seam for them as well.
“But out batting wasn't up to the mark. We have won day before the next game and we will try to gather ourselves and be better in the next game.”
Pakistan were in trouble from the start with the new opening pair of Mohammad Haris and Hasan Nawaz, stepping in for veterans Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam, both dismissed without scoring off the first eight balls of the match.
A fully fit Kyle Jamieson took three wickets for 8 runs and Jacob Duffy 4 for 14 as Pakistan stumbled to 14-4 at the end of the six overs powerplay. Jamieson and Duffy produced pace, bounce and swing on a brownish pitch at Hagley Oval and the Pakistan batters had no early response.
“It was really nice to be back on home soil,” said Jamieson, who bowled 18 dot balls.
"We had some pretty favorable conditions which I'm sure me and (Duffy) would take most places around the country.
“It was nice to have those and just try to cash in as much as we could.”
Salman and Khushdil Shah gave the Pakistan innings some impetus when they took 14 runs from the 10th over bowled by Ish Sodhi and 15 from the 11th bowled by Michael Bracewell to lift Pakistan from 28-4 after nine overs to 57-5 after 11. The Pakistan batters looked more at home against the spinners
But Duffy returned to dismiss Khushdil for 32 and the rest followed quickly with only three batters reaching three figures.
Seifert put New Zealand on course to a comfortable win, taking 12 runs from the third over and 14 runs off the fifth as New Zealand reached 43-1 in the power play. Allen, unusually subdued, scored only nine runs in the first six overs.
New Zealand were 90 for 1 after 10 overs, needing only 2 runs to win, when the umpires unaccountably called for drinks.
The second match is at Dunedin, New Zealand on Tuesday.