New Zealand beat Pakistan to end losing streak

WELLINGTON // Tim Southee took five wickets and Jesse Ryder scored 55 runs as New Zealand emphatically ended an 11-match losing streak in limited-overs internationals with a nine-wicket win over Pakistan on Saturday.

Southee's 5 for33 and Hamish Bennett's 3 for 26 helped New Zealand bowl out Pakistan for 124 in 37.3 overs before Ryder hit a half century from 31 balls to guide New Zealand to its winning target in only 17.2 overs.

Martin Guptill was 40 not out and Ross Taylor 23 when the innings ended

Pakistan won the toss and batted in the day-night match at Westpac Stadium, but Southee and Bennett quickly undermined that decision, wrecking the tourists' top order.

Man of the match Southee had opener Mohammad Hafeez caught for a duck in the fourth over of the innings when Pakistan was 7, giving wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum the first of his five catches in the innings.

Kamran Akmal was out for 8 and Asad Shafiq for 4 as Pakistan slipped to 29 for three in the 10th over before Younus Khan, with 24, tried to rally the tourists. The innings fell into further decline when he was out in the 20th over with Pakistan still only 57-4.

Test captain Misbah ul-Haq was the only batsman to show prolonged and determined resistance, batting for more than two hours and facing 88 balls to score 50 and to give the innings a faint image of substance. Misbah was the last man out, bowled by Southee with the third ball of the 38th over.

Southee was given good support by young fast bowler Bennett and by veteran Jacob Oram, returning from injury, who took 2-33 from 10 overs.

Ryder opened the New Zealand innings with Guptill and set off in hasty pursuit of the winning target. He dashed to his half century with six fours and two sixes, taking a severe toll on veteran fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar who conceded 47 runs from four overs.

Ryder was out when New Zealand was 84, but Guptill and Taylor saw their team home without further loss.

The win was a filip for New Zealand in its last one-day series before next month's World Cup in the Indian subcontinent. It also continued the apparent improvement of the New Zealand team under its new coach John Wright.

The second match of the series is at Queenstown on Wednesday.

Brief scores: New Zealand 125-1 in 172 overs (Jesse Ryder 50, Martin Guptill 40 not out; Tim Southee 5-33, Hamish Bennett 3-26) def Pakistan 124 from 373 overs (Misbah-ul-Haq 50; Sohail Tanvir 1-39)