LINCOLN - Pakistani bowlers failed to defend a total of 313 as centuries from Henry Nicholls and Tim Seifert led the New Zealand Board President's XI to a six-wicket victory in the tour game in Lincoln Sunday.
Pakistan, who opted to bat, had suffered a shaky start as M Hafeez and Younus Khan were out for 2 and 1 respectively, within the first three overs. After Ahmed Shehzad failed to convert his start of 37, and Sohaib Maqsood was out cheaply, Misbah-ul-Haq and Umar Akmal led the side's recovery with a 105-run partnership for the fifth wicket. Akmal chipped in with 68 off 59 balls, including ten fours. Quick wickets soon reduced them to 234 for 7 but Misbah and Wahab Riaz, who scored 30 off 21 balls, pushed the score to 313. Ehsan Adil also scored 21 runs. Misbah scored 107 off 119 balls hitting 10 boundaries and one six. Wicket-keeper batsman Sarfraz Ahmed added 19 runs while Shahid Afridi was out for a golden duck.
NZ Board President's XI's chase was set up by a 93-run partnership between openers Michael Pollard and Nicholls, and the latter built on that by adding another 85 runs with Siefert before his dismissal for 104. Nicholls' 113-ball innings included 14 fours. Seifert then controlled the chase, notching up an unbeaten 115 off 89 deliveries to lead the side to a victory in the last over.
Not only did the Pakistan side have a huge total and reputation to play with, they also had the local lads well behind the run rate. Needing 36 from the final three overs, Seifert and fringe Canterbury player Ken McClure did it with four balls to spare. They needed seven to win from the final over, but Seifert hit a six and a four to wrap it up easily. Ehsan took two wickets for 81 in his 9.2 overs while Sohail Khan finished with 1-66.
"This is a great win," President's XI coach Bob Carter said. "Obviously we batted well, but I think we bowled very well too and they only got away on us at the end." The Pakistan team didn't take it lightly either and were clearly fired up at trying to win the match in the dying overs. The two sides meet again on Tuesday, again at Lincoln.

Scoreboard

PAKISTAN:
M Hafeez run out    2
Ahmed Shehzad run out    37
Younus Khan c Blundell b Jamieson    1
Misbah-ul-Haq c van Beek b Hicks    107
Sohaib Maqsood c Hicks b Astle    15
Umar Akmal c Pollard b Nuttall     68
Sarfraz Ahmed c Hicks b van Beek     19
Shahid Afridi c Blundell b van Beek    0
Wahab Riaz c Nicholls b Hicks    30
Ehsan Adil c Blundell b Jamieson    21
Sohail Khan not out    0
EXTRAS: (lb8, w5)    13
TOTAL: (all out; 49.3 overs)    313
FOW: 1-2, 2-9, 3-43, 4-81, 5-186, 6-233, 7-234, 8-268, 9-304, 10-313
BOWLING: K Jamieson 9.3-0-63-2, E Nuttall 8-1-46-1, L van Beek 10-0-53-2, T Astle 8-0-43-1, T Johnston 8-0-48-0, S Hicks-6-0-52-2
NEW ZEALAND BOARD PRESIDENT'S XI:
H Nicholls run out    104
M Pollard c Sohaib b Ehsan    35
T Seifert not out    115
T Blundell c Ahmed b Ehsan    33
L Carter c Younus b Sohail    1
K McClure not out    13
EXTRAS: (b1, lb6 , w8, nb1)    16
TOTAL: (4 wkts; 49.2 overs)    317
FOW: 1-93, 2-178, 3-265, 4-274  
BOWLING: Sohail Khan 10-0-66-1, Ehsan Adil 9.2-1-81-2, Wahab Riaz 10-0-61-0, Shahid Afridi 10-0-42-0, Ahmed Shehzad 6-0-43-0, Younus Khan 4-0-17-0
TOSS: Pakistan
UMPIRES: G Baxter, A Gillies