Watling shows grit with bat as NZ A fall

A defiant 76 from BJ Watling wasn’t enough for New Zealand A to avoid a five wicket defeat to Pakistan A in their second one-day match at Nursery Oval, Abu Dhabi.
 
After being asked to bat first, Watling provided a steady hand at number four for the NZ A side and found a partner in Todd Astle (40), the pair putting on 57 for the sixth wicket.
 
New Zealand A made it through to 224, bowled out in the 49th over with Pakistan A’s Mohammad Irfan Jnr. taking 4/37.
 
The New Zealand bowlers kept scoring tight early on, going at under three an over for the opening 10 overs.
 
However, a couple of half centuries in the middle order ensured Pakistan A were ahead of the chase, four New Zealand A bowlers finishing with a wicket each, Astle again featuring with 1/32 from nine overs.
 
A solid bowling effort ensured the game went deep but it wasn’t enough, Pakistan A claiming victory with an over to spare, finishing 225/5.
 
New Zealand A’s third and final one-day match is against Pakistan A starting 26 October.