Pakistan spinner Sufiyan Muqeem set a new world record on Tuesday by achieving the highest individual score for a player batting at the number 12 position in an ODI match.
This milestone was reached during the second ODI of the three-match series against New Zealand in Hamilton. While pursuing a target of 293 runs, Muqeem entered the game when his team was struggling at 174/9 and managed to score 13 runs off 10 balls, including one four and one six. He formed a brief partnership with Naseem Shah, who contributed 51 runs off 44 balls, hitting four boundaries and four sixes. Naseem fell short of breaking Mohammed Amir's record of 58 runs at number 11, set against England in Nottingham in 2016. Naseem was playing as a concussion substitute for Haris Rauf, who had been struck on the helmet, which positioned Muqeem as the number 12 player for Pakistan, according to Wisden.
New Zealand triumphed over Pakistan by 84 runs in Hamilton, clinching the ODI series 2-0 with one match remaining. After Pakistan chose to bowl first, New Zealand posted a total of 292/8 in their allotted 50 overs. Following a collapse to 132/5, contributions from Muhammad Abbas (41 runs off 66 balls, with three fours) and Mitchell Hay (99* runs off 78 balls, with seven fours and seven sixes) helped stabilize the innings for New Zealand.
For Pakistan, Muqeem (2/33) and Mohammed Wasim (2/78) were the standout bowlers. During Pakistan's chase, they found themselves in dire straits at 72/7 due to impressive bowling from Ben Sears (5/59) and Jacob Duffy (3/35). A resilient effort from Faheem Ashraf (73 runs off 80 balls, with six fours and three sixes) and Naseem (51 runs off 44 balls, with four boundaries and four sixes) improved Pakistan's position, but ultimately, it was not enough to secure a win.
