Match overview
New Zealand beat Pakistan by 43 runs at Bay Oval on 5 April 2025, their fourth ODI victory over Pakistan in 2025. Batting first after Pakistan elected to field, New Zealand posted 264/8 from their 50 overs, well above the ground's average first-innings score of 211 across 55 matches. Pakistan's chase never gathered momentum. They were bowled out for 221, the innings effectively decided in a middle-overs phase that cost them 10 wickets for 184 runs. MG Bracewell was named Player of the Match.
The match followed a now-familiar pattern in this series. New Zealand's top order set a platform in the powerplay, scoring 61 runs for 1 wicket, and the middle overs produced the bulk of the total: 181 runs for 5 wickets. The death overs were quieter, adding 22 for 2. Pakistan's reply started cautiously at 37 for 1 in the powerplay, then unravelled comprehensively through the middle period. They reached the death overs without a single run or wicket remaining, because their innings had already closed.
Venue and conditions
Bay Oval has hosted 55 ODIs and produces slightly bowler-friendly conditions by the numbers. The average first-innings score of 211 and average second-innings score of 199 suggest chasing sides concede roughly 12 runs on average, and the chase-success rate of 44 per cent confirms that teams setting totals have the better of it here. New Zealand's 264/8 put them in exactly the position the ground's history favours.
The powerplay data is instructive. The venue average of 39 powerplay runs made Pakistan's 37 slightly below par, but the gap was narrow enough that the chase remained technically alive. The collapse through the middle overs, where the venue numbers do not tell the whole story, was the real difference. Bay Oval's average death-overs yield is 31 runs per innings; Pakistan did not reach that phase, which says everything about the state of their chase.
Pakistan won the toss and chose to field, a sensible call by historical standards: 65 per cent of toss-winners at this ground have opted to bowl. On this occasion, New Zealand punished the decision with a well-constructed batting performance that gave their bowlers a total worth defending.
How to watch
New Zealand versus Pakistan ODI cricket is shown in the UK on Sky Sports Cricket, with live streaming available through Sky Go and NOW TV for subscribers. Coverage schedules vary by series, so check the Sky Sports website for confirmed start times. The 5 April match kicked off at a local New Zealand time that corresponds to an early-morning UK start.
Recent form
New Zealand's recent record against Pakistan in 2025 is difficult to overstate. Going into this match, they had won four consecutive ODIs against Pakistan, by 84 runs at Seddon Park, 73 runs at McLean Park, 8 wickets at Sky Stadium, and 115 runs at Bay Oval in an earlier fixture. Their sole defeat in the recent run was by 9 wickets at Eden Park, a result that looks increasingly like an anomaly given what followed.
Pakistan arrived at this match having lost four of their last five against this opposition, all in 2025, all in New Zealand. Their 9-wicket win at Eden Park was the one bright spot in an otherwise difficult tour. The overall head-to-head record reinforces the pattern: New Zealand lead 63-45 across 117 meetings. Whether Pakistan can reset in the next phase of fixtures will be the key question as both sides move on from this series.
