The Daryl Mitchell Story- After back-to-back losses in the first two T20 matches against New Zealand, Pakistan made an amazing comeback in the third match. In what proved to be a neck-to-neck fight, Pakistan sealed a victory on the last ball courtesy of Iftikhar Ahmed’ six. However, the best moment of the match was Daryl Mitchell’s inexplicable catch.
In the match being played at New Zealand’s McLean park, Pakistan won the toss and elected to bowl first. Coming on to bat, openers Tim Seifert and Martin Guptill were off to a great start before Martin Guptill got dismissed by Haris Shrauf having made 19 off 16.
The Story Of The New Zealand Vs Pakistan Series And The Last T20 Game
To everyone’s surprise, New Zealand’s captain Kane Williamson failed to impress in the match and got bowled by Faheem Ashraf making just one run! Tim Seifert was also sent back by the young Pakistani bowler. New Zealand’s Devon Conway then came in and took control of the situation. He went on to play a brilliant knock of 63 and 45 and helped his team reach a defendable total. Glenn Phillips supported Conway with his knock of 31 off 20. New Zealand thus put up a decent score of 173/7 in 20 overs.
Among the Pakistani bowlers, 26-year old Faheem Ashraf gave the most notable performance. The youngster picked up three wickets at an expense of just 20 runs. His economy was five.
Coming on to chase, Pakistan got a dream start. Opener Mohammad Rizwan began his explosive batting right from the beginning. He went on to play a massive match-winning knock of 89 (59) which plays an important role in Pakistan’s victory. Apart from Rizwan, Mohammad Hafeez also played a crucial knock. He made 41 off 29 and complimented Rizwan’s innings. Together, they played a 72-run partnership.
The Brilliant Catch By Daryl Mitchell That Caught Everyone’s Attention
It was during Pakistan’s chase that the fans witnessed Daryl’s wonder catch. New Zealand’s Scott Kugglejin was sent to bowl the 6th over. The fast bowler lobbed a quick length-delivery at Haider who jammed a shot towards the off-side. Unfortunately, the Pakistani couldn’t make a good connection which led to a big edge.
The ball flew towards the cover. That was right where Daryl Mitchell had positioned himself after coming on as a substitute fielder for the injured Martin Guptil. It wasn’t looking easy, but Daryl ran a few yards back and stuck out his right arm. And in an incredible stroke of luck, the ball landed there, giving Mitchell and the Kiwis a sensational wicket.
IS THAT THE CATCH OF THE SUMMER?
Daryl Mitchell is on as sub-fielder for one ball and takes this special grab to remove Pakistan opener Haider Ali.
Catch the run-chase live pic.twitter.com/fJqbirs0Hu
— Spark Sport (@sparknzsport) December 22, 2020
What Next For The Team Teams After The T20 Series?
Although New Zealand lost the match, this catch by Mitchell will be forever remembered. Besides, the Kiwis had already won the T20 series so they had nothing to lose.
Pakistan made a good comeback in the third T20 match which would give them some confidence before they head into the Test series against the Kiwis. The first test match between both the teams starts on 26th December and the Pakistanis will look to better their test rankings by winning the series. A win over second-placed New Zealand would see a huge improvement in their World Rank.
