Sohail stars in Pakistan's win over New Zealand

Newcomer Haris Sohail batted with maturity during his maiden one day international half-century to steer Pakistan to a three-wicket win in the first day-night international against New Zealand in Dubai today.
The 25-year-old left-hander scored 85 off 109 balls and added 110 for the seventh wicket with veteran Shahid Afridi (who hit a 51-ball 61) to rescue Pakistan from a precarious 124-6 and turn it into a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.
Pakistan, set a daunting 247-run target, were struggling at 40-3 before Sohail added 34 with skipper Misbah-ul Haq (13) and 38 with Sarfraz Ahmed (26) to steady the innings.

With just 13 needed at a run-a-ball, Afridi was run out but Sohail hit Jimmy Neesham for his fifth boundary to seal the win with three balls to spare.
Afridi hit seven boundaries and a six in his 37th one-day fifty.
Earlier, Ross Taylor became the sixth batsman, and first from his country, to score three hundreds in consecutive matches to lift New Zealand to 246-7.

Pakistan's Zaheer Abbas and Saeed Anwar, and South Africa's Herschelle Gibbs, AB de Villiers and Quinton de Kock have also achieved the feat.
Pakistan lost wickets at regular intervals with Mohammad Hafeez (six), Asad Shafiq (five), Ahmed Shehzad (28) and Younis Khan (four) trudging back to the pavilion with the score barely passing 50.

Paceman Kyle Mills gave New Zealand the breakthrough in the fifth over, bowling Hafeez before Daniel Vettori struck twice and Neesham once.
But Sohail and Afridi rescued Pakistan.
Misbah admitted it was a difficult match.
"It was very tough. Full marks to the way Sohail and Afridi batted and rescued us," he said.
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson felt his team didn't capitalise on Taylor's hundred.
"I think on the back of Ross's superb knock we had a reasonable total on the board but it's a shame we didn't do the job well with the ball and Pakistan's middle order came good," said Williamson.