Hamilton : World record partnership from openers Martin Guptill and Kane Williamson helped the Black Caps to level T20I series against Pakistan .The hosts bounced back to hammer Pakistan by 10 wickets in the second match in Hamilton.
The in-form duo steered the Black Caps to 171-0 off 17.4 overs with little bother to overhaul the tourists’ 7-168 and square the three-match series 1-1.
Guptill (87no from 58) and Williamson’s (72no from 48) unbroken stand is the best for any nation and for any wicket in the history of T20 internationals.
It breaks the previous record of 170 runs shared by South African openers Graeme Smith and Loots Bosman against England at Centurion in 2009.
The pair barely offered a chance as they both cruised past 50 at a crisp rate, with Guptill accelerating once he’d passed the milestone, having played second-fiddle to his skipper until then.Guptill hit four towering sixes and nine fours, while Williamson had 11 hits to the fence.
The Pakistan attack which looked threatening at Eden Park had no answer, with spinners Imad Wasim and Shoaib Malik the only bowlers to boast an economy rate below nine.
The best of their batsmen was Umar Akmal, who struck 56 off 27 balls in the second half of their innings.
The 25-year-old reached 50 off 22 balls and now holds the record for the two fastest T20 half-centuries by a Pakistan player. His 21-ball assault against Australia at Edgbaston in 2010 remains the quickest.
Shoaib Malik scored 39 off 30 balls before being bowled by recalled seamer Mitchell McClenaghan, who finished with a commendable 2-23 off four overs.
McClenaghan and Ross Taylor were selected in place of seam pair Matt Henry and Trent Boult, while Pakistan fielded an unchanged side.
The decider is in Wellington on Friday.