WELLINGTON (Reuters) – Finn Allen blasted 137 off 62 balls, the highest score by a New Zealand batsman in a T20 International, to secure his team's series-clinching 45-run victory against Pakistan in the third match in Dunedin on Wednesday.
The opener clobbered 16 sixes, the joint-most in an innings in men's T20 Internationals, to power New Zealand to an imposing 224-7 at the University Oval.
Pakistan managed 179-7 in reply, including Babar Azam's (58) third fifty of the series, as New Zealand took an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series.
Allen toyed with the entire Pakistan attack but was particularly harsh on Haris Rauf, plundering 28 runs, including three sixes, in the fast bowler's second over, taking him out of the attack.
The bowler was brought back in after New Zealand cruised to 109-1 at the halfway stage and Allen smacked three sixes in that over from Rauf, who bled 60 runs for his two wickets.
Babar kept Pakistan in the hunt for a while but Tim Southee (2-29) led New Zealand's disciplined bowling to ensure they were never really threatened.
"It's good to see the hard work of the last few months come off," Player of the Match Allen said of his knock, which also included five fours.
"I'm not so personal milestone-driven. I suppose it's just good to get across the line and put up a competitive score and take the series."
This is Pakistan's first series under new T20 captain Shaheen Afridi ahead of this year's 20-overs World Cup in June.
The last two matches of the series are scheduled in Christchurch on Friday and Sunday.
ALLEN THE DEMOLISHER
ESPNcricinfo adds: Allen had been going hard at the top earlier too, and with his highest T20 score, he already has 373 runs from five innings in the format this year. His assault started in the third over when he made the ball disappear beyond the square-leg boundary with consecutive sixes off Shaheen Afridi.
Haris Rauf would have thought he would have a good day when he dismissed Devon Conway in the next over that saw just two runs, but his second over - the last of the powerplay - was smashed for 28, with 27 of those coming off Allen's bat. Whether Rauf pitched it short or on good length, Allen put them away for two fours and three sixes in the over to help New Zealand post 67 in the powerplay.
Coming into the XI for this game, Mohammad Nawaz and Mohammad Wasim combined for two boundary-less overs after that, but Allen, who crossed 50 meanwhile, then charged against Nawaz for two sixes in the ninth over. Wasim and Zaman Khan managed to keep Allen quiet with a few yorkers and slower ones to pull the scoring rate under ten briefly, but Allen took off again once Rauf returned.
He raced from 72 to 91 in just five deliveries by smashing Rauf for three sixes in an over that went for 23, and went past a hundred with a six and a four over covers off Afridi. All this, and there were seven overs still left in the innings. Even though Tim Seifert, who came in for the injured Kane Williamson, and Daryl Mitchell fell in successive overs, there was no stopping Allen. He belted Nawaz for consecutive sixes in the 15th over, and Wasim too for the same treatment when the fast bowler erred towards the pads.
It was finally an accurate length ball from Zaman that lacked pace and stopped the carnage when Allen chopped on, after the previous ball - a full toss - had been smashed into the sight screen. Allen's 137 off 62 also featured five fours, which were hardly the highlight of the knock. His liking for the leg side was evident no matter where the ball was pitched to him - 13 of his 16 sixes landed on that area, where he smashed 95 (69%) of his total runs.