Kiwis thrash Pakistan

Corey Anderson plays a shot against Pakistan.

 New Zealand sent a warning to their rivals ahead of the Twenty20 Cricket World Cup when they beat Pakistan by 95 runs on Friday to clinch the three-match series 2-1.
It was the last Twenty20 international for New Zealand and Pakistan before the tournament in India in March, with the Kiwis confident after back-to-back wins.
Pakistan won the first match by 16 runs before New Zealand stormed the second by 10 wickets - with a world record 171 partnership between Martin Guptill and Kane Williamson. The hosts maintained that form to win equally emphatically on Friday.
Corey Anderson produced an outstanding allround performance with an unbeaten 82 to lead New Zealand to 196-5 as they batted first and took 2-17 as New Zealand dismissed Pakistan for 101 in 16.1 overs.
Anderson has only recently returned to the New Zealand lineup after a back injury and was forced from the field early due to soreness but not before making an indelible mark on the match.
He hit 82 runs from 42 balls with six fours and four sixes, sustaining the momentum of New Zealand's innings which had begun explosively with Guptill's 42 off 19 balls. He then opened with a rare appearance at the bowling crease and took 2-17 from three overs.
Grant Elliott took 3-7 from two overs and Adam Milne 3-8 from 3.1 overs as New Zealand showed off the depth and variation of their bowling attack. Pakistan were unable to cope with Milne's pace or the guile of Elliott's slow bowling.
Man of the match Anderson said it was "nice to finally get some runs and be back into international cricket." New Zealand's win was set up by Guptill and Williamson after they had lost the toss and been sent in to bat. Guptill scored 15 of the 16 runs the pair took from the first over as New Zealand raced to 40 from three overs to shake Pakistan's bowling and fielding plans.
Pakistan fought back by removing Guptill for 42 in the sixth over, then ran out Colin Munro for 4 and dismissed Kane Williamson, who hit 33 from 34 balls.
Anderson took charge, though he struggled at times for timing, and helped New Zealand build their seventh-highest total in Twenty20 internationals.
Pakistan's hopes of saving the match and series quickly dissolved when they were reduced to 15-3 by the third over. While Sarfraz Ahmed provided some resistance, taking 41 runs from 36 balls, he had little support and Pakistan crumbled to 55-5, then 76-7, as Anderson, Elliott and Milne exploited favourable bowling conditions. - AP