On Monday, Pakistan fast bowler Naseem Shah made history during the first ODI against New Zealand at the National Bank Cricket Arena in Karachi. Naseem took an impressive five-wicket haul, making him the bowler with the most wickets in the first four ODIs of his career. In fact, this was his second consecutive five-wicket haul in ODIs, as he also took five wickets in the third match against the Netherlands on August 21, 2022.
Prior to Naseem, Australian players Ryan Harris and Gary Gilmour held the record with 14 wickets each in their first four ODI matches, while Pakistan’s Usman Shinwari took 12 wickets in his first four matches. Naseem’s performance helped Pakistan restrict New Zealand to a target of 255 runs in 50 overs.
In addition to Naseem, Pakistan’s debutant Usama Mir took two wickets, and Mohammad Wasim Jr and Mohammad Nawaz each took one. For New Zealand, Tom Latham scored 42 runs, and all-rounder Michael Bracewell scored 43. Daryl Mitchell scored 36 runs, and Glenn Phillips scored 37.
Pakistan now have the opportunity to become the number one ODI team in the world during their series against New Zealand. If they win all three matches in the series by a 3-0 margin, they will climb to the top spot in the rankings with 114 rating points.
Consecutive five-wicket hauls for @iNaseemShah! 🔥#PAKvNZ | #TayyariKiwiHai pic.twitter.com/3UWANjyJWe
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) January 9, 2023
