Series on then! Pakistan, with this commanding win, is alive in the series, but they still trail 1-2. With two matches still to play, the tourists have found the momentum just at the right time. The youngsters stepped up this time around and they would expect the same in the upcoming matches, which of course, are do and die. While for New Zealand, they would like to go on the drawing board and assess where things went wrong. Well then, that's a wrap from this third T20I. The series now moves to the Bay Oval of Mount Maunganui for the 4th and penultimate T20I in this five-match series. The first ball is scheduled to be bowled at 6.15 am GMT on March 23rd, Sunday. Till then, cheers, and goodbye!

The victorious captain of Pakistan, Salman Agha says that he is happy with the overall team’s performance and he congratulates Hasan for his impressive century. Adds that both openers batted really well and he always wanted to back them. States that he told his team that 200 is a par score and they can chase it down. Mentions that the bowlers did really well to restrict New Zealand to this score. Concludes that he is happy that it was a do-or-die situation for them and they played accordingly and won the game.

The captain of New Zealand, Michael Bracewell says he's disappointed with the result but gives full credit to Hasan Nawaz for his unbelievable innings. He acknowledges that it's always tough to defend at this venue, even more so when someone bats the way Nawaz did. Bracewell admits that not batting the full 20 overs was costly and something they need to tidy up for the next game. He also points out the changing conditions as part of the beauty of the game. Mentions that Chapman batted beautifully, and after his dismissal, they had to take stock for a couple of overs, and were 15-20 runs short.

Hasan Nawaz of Pakistan is adjudged the PLAYER OF THE MATCH for his impressive performance with a match-winning hundred. He says that he was distraught as he got out for ducks in the previous two games and he appreciates Salman Agha and Shadab Khan for their backing and giving him confidence. Adds that he just wanted to score his first run in international cricket and he knew that his skipper had full confidence in him to perform here and he is happy that he did that today and contributed to his team’s win.

The Presentation ceremony...

Earlier in the game, Pakistan's bowling-first strategy initially clicked when they dismissed Finn Allen in his milestone 50th T20I and quickly removed Seifert, giving them control in the Powerplay. Just as a collapse loomed, Mark Chapman launched a spectacular counter-offensive, hammering a brilliant fifty alongside Daryl Mitchell to completely shift momentum. Though wickets continued falling around him, Chapman remained resolute, dominating the middle overs with explosive hitting before falling agonizingly short of his century by just six runs. Despite having plenty of overs remaining, Pakistan's timely wicket-taking provided crucial breathing space in the death overs, with Haris Rauf starring by claiming a three-wicket haul. Michael Bracewell's late cameo of 31 off just 18 proved vital, propelling New Zealand beyond the 200-run mark despite Pakistan's fightback.

New Zealand needed wickets, but their premier bowlers were taken to the cleaners, and with the short dimensions of the boundaries, even a few mishits cleared the ropes, adding to New Zealand's frustration. The game already got into dangerous territory for New Zealand as Salman Agha joined the bandwagon of the attack with the bat and scored a fifty of his own. With the asking rate below the run-a-ball, Pakistan held the bull by its horn, and with a centurion partnership, they sailed through with ease as New Zealand's bowlers just couldn't stop Pakistan's runaway train.

They say, when it's your day, fortune smiles at every turn. Hasan Nawaz, previously haunted by consecutive ducks, found everything falling his way - even surviving a dropped catch as lady luck rode alongside his brilliant batting display. Pakistan built perfectly on their openers' foundation, shifting effortlessly to consolidate their position during the middle overs. Comfortably ahead of New Zealand at the halfway stage with plenty of wickets in the tank, the tourists maintained complete control of the chase.

Chasing a challenging total of 205, Pakistan needed a strong start, and they got one. Mohammed Haris and Hasan Nawaz took immediate control, launching an aggressive assault during the Powerplay. The duo peppered the boundary with regular hits, capitalizing on the difficult bowling conditions as dew began to settle on the outfield. Despite eventually losing Haris, Pakistan ended the crucial first six overs in a commanding position at 75/1.

A duck in Christchurch, another duck in Dunedin, only to be followed by a sensational maiden T20I century here in Auckland in a historic run chase. Hasan Nawaz, take a bow! This 22-year-old kid has helped Pakistan to blaze to victory with four overs to spare and this has truly been range-hitting of some quality. Spare a thought for New Zealand bowlers, as none of them could make any impact and were smashed all around the park, with all bowlers, barring Neesham, leaking runs in double digits on the economy.

Kyle Jamieson (3-0-40-0) is back into the attack.

Ben Sears is back on. He is 3-0-37-0 so far and replaces Jacob Duffy.

Ish Sodhi (1-0-14-0) is back on.