Until the next one, this is Rvel Zahid waving goodbye on behalf of Shashwat Kumar and our scoring gurus Binoy George and Chandan Duorah. Adios!

Babar Azam: This was a team effort, we wanted to start well. The credit belongs to the fast bowlers for the way we restricted them in the end. It feels good to see players execute their plans. The way Naseem bowled put pressure on them and then the spinners dominated. The way Fakhar and Imam played, then the innings Fakhar and I built together was great.

Tom Latham: I think the score we got was about par. The position we were in, Daryl played a superb innings. The wicket got harder for new guys, but the way Pakistan played was superb. We couldn't make any inroads. It got harder in the end but the two partnerships up top from Pakistan made the difference. I guess a few more wickets could have made it different because it wasn't easy to start.

Fakhar Zaman, Player of the Match: The plan was to attack and stay long. If you survive the new ball at (Rawalpindi) you must stay (till the end). It's a very good start, the first three needs to go till 40 overs. Today was my day and hopefully, Imam and Babar will also play big knocks.

Rizwan looks to the heavens with that shot of authority over midwicket as Pakistan draws first blood in the five-match ODI series and this is also Pakistan's 500th ODI win! Imam-ul-Haq and Fakhar Zaman forged a crucial partnership that set the platform for Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan. Pakistan did make it difficult for themselves by slowing down in the middle overs and even without some of the mainstays, New Zealand did pretty well and should give themselves a pat on the back for their bowling performance as they created some panic towards the end and took the game deep. The pitch had been baking under the sun and was pretty docile. There was barely any swing for the bowlers but spinners got some assistance. Pakistan have got a few ODIs before the showpiece event to address the outstanding issues; the chase got derailed when Babar Azam nicked one through to the keeper and the floodgates were opened. Shan Masood played a confusing knock and struggled to get going which raises questions on his role in the team. In the end, Mohammad Rizwan made sure they don't make a mess of the game and some timely blows took all hope away from the Tom Latham-led side.

sam: "I think I can breathe without choking on incoming breaths now? God the past few minutes have been bad for my asthma.."