New Zealand must come from behind once again if they are to salvage their ODI series against Pakistan.
They managed to bounce back to square both the test and T20 series after conceding early defeats and the 147-run beating Pakistan inflicted on the New Zealanders today left them 2-1 behind in the five-match series and needing to win the last two games of their tour to finish their trip on a winning note.
Today's victory was a Sharjah slaughter. New Zealand's bowling was poor, as Pakistan rattled up 364 for seven, the highest ODI total at the ground, and their batting was unable to make sufficient headway chasing an imposing total.
The contest was over long before the required run rate reached 10 an over, with 20 overs remaining, and they were dismissed for 217 with 11.4 overs unbowled.
New Zealand, who lost the toss, were outclassed in both departments today.
Both openers were gone in 5.1 overs to left arm giant Mohammed Irfan. Anton Devcich was out for a duck, getting an inside edge on a swing to the onside; Martin Guptill badly miscued an attempted pull and lobbed a catch to mid off.
It was the second time Guptill had been beaten for pace by Irfan, the first occasion the ball lobbing just over mid on.
Ross Taylor hit three sixes in eight balls before being bowled by Shahid Afridi's quicker ball which beat the batsman's attempted cut shot.
New Zealand's slide gathered momentum when captain Kane Williamson changed his mind in mid shot and chipped a catch back to part time left arm spinner Haris Sohail for 46.
Corey Anderson had a grim day with the ball. He should have been caught on four second ball skying an attempted sweep only for wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed to make a complete hash of the catch.
It didn't matter much, Anderson's depressing day ending at 19 when he pulled Wahab Riaz to deep mid on.
Tom Latham swept high to back ward square leg to give centurymaker Ahmed Shezhad a maiden ODI wicket and Jimmy Neesham went softly, caught at mid off from Sohail.
New Zealand were slightly ahead on comparative run rates with just under 20 overs left but had lost too many wickets, and the latter stages of Pakistan's innings were hugely productive.
Nathan McCullum fell to a fine diving catch by veteran Younis Khan while Luke Ronchi was last man out, bowled for 41 by Afridi. The charismatic Afridi took three wickets, two catches and hit a rapid 55 in a high class performance.
The first half of the match went dreadfully wrong for New Zealand, whose 338 for four against Bangladesh 22 years ago was eclipsed as the highest ODI score on the ground.
Losing the toss didn't help but the tourists were badly off pace in their over rate, were erratic with the ball on a pitch which demanded making the batsmen at least work for their runs.
Flat and easy paced, it was a batting delight and opener Shezhad led the way with his sixth ODI hundred, and second against New Zealand.
His 113 off 120 balls was the highlight of the innings, laced with vigorous pulls - he was given plenty of chances to play that shot - and classy drives through, and over, the off side.
On 1, he might have been caught by Neesham running to his left at fine leg off Matt Henry had the fielder sprinted hard, the ball falling just in front of him.
After that it was plain sailing for the man who suffered a fracture skull in early November during the first test at Abu Dhabi.
He and opening partner Mohammed Hafeez raced past 50 inside seven overs of wayward new ball bowling from Henry and Mitchell McClenaghan and apart from a brief period shortly after when Anderson, Neesham and McCullum briefly applied some brakes, it was one-way traffic.
The high points were a sizzling 89-run stand off just 50 balls for the fifth wicket between captain Afridi (55 from only 26 balls) and Sohail, and 51 off 21 deliveries from Sarfraz Ahmed and Sohail Tanvir at the end as New Zealand's bowling completely fell apart.
Pakistan's batsmen shared 11 sixes in the innings.
There was grim reading in the runs per over list. Pakistan scored 221 from the last 25 overs; 125 off the last 10; 65 from the last five. Take your pick, whichever way you look at it, it wasn't pretty.
Anderson's first four overs cost 19; his last six went for 77 as he put up New Zealand's third worst ODI bowling figures, one for 96.
Neesham, Henry and McClenaghan all got rough treatment. Henry did pick up two wickets in two balls to get something from his 23rd birthday.
However New Zealand's seamers bowled far too short too often. It was either a cunning plan or plain poor bowling. Either way it didn't work.
The fourth ODI is in Abu Dhabi starting late on Thursday night.
- NZ Herald
