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After being put to bat first, New Zealand amassed a massive total of 224-7, thanks to a brilliant century by Finn Allen. In reply, Pakistan could only manage 179-7 in their 20 overs. New Zealand won the third Twenty20 International at University Oval, Dunedin by 45 runs, taking an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series.
After winning the toss, Pakistan invited New Zealand to bat first. Although opener Devon Conway (7, 8b, 1×4) was out of the game early, falling to Haris Rauf in the fourth over, Tim Seifert and Allen gave New Zealand a comfortable start, and their 125-run partnership at the second wicket helped the home team take control of the innings.
Pakistan's breakthrough came when Mohammad Wasim Jr. dismissed Seifert, who had made 31 from 23—three fours and a six—walking back.
After making an astonishing 137 from 62, which included five fours and a record 16 maximums, Allen went on to complete his second century in Twenty20 Internationals before being removed by Zaman Khan in the eighteenth over. He was later declared player of the match for the second time in a row.
As New Zealand reached 200 runs for the second time in the series, Glenn Phillips (19, 15b, 1Ï4, 1×6) was the other batsman who chipped in. The Pakistan attack had a difficult day at the office, with every bowler giving up more than eight runs per over. Haris took two wickets, while Shaheen Shah Afridi, Zaman, Wasim, and Nawaz took one each.
Tim Southee removed opening batsman Saim Ayub (10, 13b, 2x4s) during the Pakistan chase's powerplay. Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan shared 39 runs to give the chase some semblance of stability, but Mitchell Santner removed Rizwan (24, 20b, 2x6s) to end the chase.
Babar, the highest scoring batsman for Pakistan during the innings, reached his third successive half-century (58, 37b, 8x4s, 1Ï6) before being removed by Ish Sodhi. Fakhar Zaman (19, 10b, 2x4s, 1Ï6) also started the innings before being removed by Lockie Ferguson.
Even though the outcome was inevitable at that point, Nawaz (28, 15b, 2x4s, 2x6s) and his captain Shaheen (16 not out, 11b, 1×4, 1×6) pieced together a 40-run seventh wicket stand.
As the home team successfully held Pakistan to 179-7 in 20 overs to win the match by 45 runs, Southee was the standout bowler for New Zealand, taking two wickets at the cost of 29 runs in his allotted four overs.