Heavy T20 loss for NZ A in UAE

New Zealand A have been smashed by eight wickets by Pakistan A, after scoring just 65 in a Twenty20 cricket match in the United Arab Emirates.

Pace trio Waqas Maqsood, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Umaid Asif took nine wickets between them to skittle New Zealand A, then the batsmen knocked off the target with more than seven overs to spare, in the first match of the unofficial series.

Only captain Corey Anderson (16) and wicketkeeper Tim Seifert (26 off 17 balls) made double figures as New Zealand crumbled to be all out after 12.2 overs.

At one point New Zealand were 12-4, with openers Glenn Phillips (four) and George Worker (one) back in the pavilion with Mark Chapman (three) and Tom Bruce (one).

New Zealand lost three early wickets to the opening combination of Maqsood and Afridi, finding themselves at 11-3, with the latter on a hat-trick after having Chapman caught behind then bowling Worker.

First-change Asif tightened the noose, to finish as the pick of the bowlers with 5-20, his best T20 figures.

Only Anderson and Seifert offered a modicum of resistance. After Anderson dragged an Asif slower ball on to his stumps, the

PHOTOSPORT A proven performer on the test stage, paceman Neil Wagner would love to don the coloured clothing for New Zealand in white ball cricket.

Corey Anderson scored 16 for NZ A.