Phillips leads the way as NZ claim ODI series

Glenn Phillips has smashed a quickfire half-century to guide New Zealand to a two-wicket victory over Pakistan in a series-clinching third one-day international in Karachi.

Phillips scored an unbeaten 63 off 42 balls, hitting four fours and four sixes, as New Zealand chased down a target of 281, headed by Fakhar Zaman's hundred, with 11 balls remaining on Friday.

Opener Devon Conway (52) and captain Kane Williamson (53) also made telling contributions as the New Zealanders completed a 2-1 series win, their first ODI series win on the subcontinent in 15 years.

Pakistan opted to bat and scored 9-280, opener Fakhar top-scoring with 101 and wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan making 77.

Tim Southee took 3-56 and Lockie Ferguson bagged 2-63 while Michael Bracewell and Ish Sodhi took one wicket each for the visitors.

But big-hitting Phillips upstaged Fakhar's eighth ODI century to give New Zealand a series victory after they won the second ODI by 79 runs following Pakistan's opening six-wicket victory.

"We were in the game at the halfway stage but made a few errors," Williamson said.

"Glenn was just playing how he plays. I don't think he wanted to run too much; he was a bit under the weather. He just grabbed the game."

Fakhar and Rizwan had earlier combined in a 154-run third-wicket stand after vice-captain Shan Masood, playing his first game of the series, was out for a duck and captain Babar Azam was stumped for the third time in the series on four.

Fakhar raised his 100 off 120 balls with 10 fours and a six, but New Zealand clawed their way back by claiming seven wickets for 105 runs.

Sodhi broke the threatening stand by having Rizwan clean bowled off a sharp googly, while substitute fielder Henry Nicholls brilliantly ran out Fakhar and Haris Sohail off direct throws.

Williamson, Conway and Daryl Mitchell (31) all made good starts before Pakistan squeezed the Black Caps in the middle overs.

Conway sliced a catch to point off Salman and Mitchell reverse swept the offspinner to short third man. Williamson was run out comfortably while going for a quick single in the 34th over.

New Zealand had slipped to 6-205 by the 39th over but Phillips took the game away from the hosts, hitting four massive sixes and four boundaries in a blistering 64-run stand with Mitchell Santner (15) off just 44 balls.

"When Rizwan and Fakhar played, it looked like we'd touch 300," Babar said.

"There were lots of soft dismissals and we were 20-30 runs short. There wasn't much turn for our spinners and we couldn't quite execute in the last 10 overs with the ball."

Buoyant New Zealand move on to India to play three ODIs and three Twenty20s from next week.

- With Reuters, AP