NZ vs Pak, 4th T20I: Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips star with unbeaten fifties as Men in Green remain winless

New Zealand thrashed Pakistan by seven wickets, in chase of 159, in the fourth and penultimate tieat the Hagley Oval, Christchurch on Friday (Jan 19). Thus, the Shaheen Afridi-led Men in Green remain winless andare now on the verge of a series whitewash. Reeling at 20-3, the Black Caps rode on unbeaten fifties from Daryl Mitchell (72 not out) and Glenn Phillips (unbeaten 70) to take their side past the finish line in 18.1overs.

Earlier in the game, Kiwis won the toss and putPakistan to bat. The Men in Green lost early wicket in the form ofopener Saim Ayub after whichMohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam tried to steady the ship with a 51-run second-wicket stand. However, Babar fell for 19 after three back-to-back half-centuries in the series. Rizwan carried on from his end with only Mohammad Nawaz's 9-ball 21*helping the Asian side post a decent 158 for 6.

From NZ, Matt Henry (2 for 22), Lockie Ferguson (2 for 27) were the top performers whereas captain Mitchell Santner remained economical, conceding23 runs in his 4 overs.

With NZ chasing 159, Pakistan were on top courtesy of captain Shaheen's three early strikes. At 20 for 3, New Zealand were on the back foot and in dire need of a big stand. Mitchell and Phillips got together and stitched a 93-ball unbroken 139-run stand for the fourth wicket to take their side out of troubled waters. The duo ran hard between wickets and capitalised on the ball deliveries to keep the scoreboard moving. In addition, Pakistan fielding remained below par with Mitchell getting two reprieves.

Pakistani bowlers remained ineffective after Shaheen's early strikes, with Haris Rauf once again being expensive (3.1-0-29-0). The Men in Green have a herculean task to end the series with a win as theylag behind in terms of a collectiveeffort in all departments.

The fifth and final T20I will take place on Sunday (Jan 21), at the same venue.