New Zealand opener Finn Allen revealed a pre-series agreement with Pakistani pacer Haris Rauf after an impressive display in the third T20I. Finn Allen stated that, as part of the deal, Haris Rauf had committed not to bowl any bouncers at him during the five-match series.
New Zealand beat Pakistan by 45 runs in the third T20I match in Dunedin on Wednesday, January 17. Allen scored 137 runs off 62 balls, including five boundaries and 16 sixes. The young Black Caps opener received the ‘Player of the Match’ award for his batting brilliance.
New Zealand set a formidable total of 224/7 in their 20 overs, with Finn Allen’s explosive knock leading the innings. Tim Seifert contributed 31 runs off 23 balls as the second-highest scorer. Haris Rauf conceded 60 runs in his four overs during the recent T20I match.
The 24-year-old smashed 16 sixes during his innings, matching Hazratullah Zazai’s record. Allen also surpassed the previous record for the highest individual score by a New Zealand batter in the Men’s T20I, which was previously held by former captain Brendon McCullum.
We Had A Bit Of A Deal Before The Series – Finn Allen
During the mid-innings break, Finn Allen shared the lighthearted incident involving him and Haris Rauf before the start of the series.
“Yes, we had a bit of a deal before the series that he [Rauf] wouldn’t bowl me any bumpers and I wouldn’t hit any back at him. He bowled me a bumper, so…,” Allen said with a laugh in the mid-innings break.
Haris Rauf delivered two bouncers to Finn Allen in the fourth over of the first innings. Allen scored score 27 runs, featuring three sixes and two boundaries when Rauf bowled the sixth over. Allen amassed a total of 47 runs in just 14 balls against the Pakistan pacer.
I Have Been Keeping Things Simple – Finn Allen
Finn Allen stated that he and Tim Seifert assessed the wicket, believing that adopting strong positions and playing good cricket shots would bring rewards. Finn added that he has been keeping things simple, consistently putting in the work throughout the series.
“We (him and Seifert) assessed the wicket you know. We thought that strong positions and good cricket shots would give us, sort of, good rewards, and having Tim there, we had a bit of laugh on the way. It was good fun, yeah,” the opener said.
“I have been keeping things simple, putting in the work throughout the series and trying to go into the game with the same gameplan.”
Pakistan managed to score 179/7 in their allotted 20 overs. Babar Azam emerged as the top scorer with 58 runs off 37 balls, and Mohammad Nawaz scored 28 runs off 15 balls. The New Zealand team won the five-match series with two games remaining.
The upcoming fourth T20I clash between New Zealand and Pakistan is set to take place on January 19 in Christchurch. The series will conclude with the final match scheduled at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch on January 21.
Also read: Finn Allen Smashes Record Breaking 16 Sixes In Third T20I Against Pakistan
