Even the biggest fans wouldn't have considered a weakened Black Caps team could take an unassailable lead in the T20 series with a game to play.
In the fourth game of the five match series the New Zealand side scored a four run win over Pakistan in Lahore to take a 2-1 lead with the final game on Sunday morning.
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Batting first the visitors reached 178-7 in their 20 overs with Pakistan finishing on 174-8
Tim Robinson and Tom Blundell put on 56 for the opening wicket with 21-year-old Robinson finishing on 51 from 36 balls
Blundell made 28, with first drop Dean Foxcroft added 34 which included three sixes.
Mark Chapman made eight, James Neesham 11 and captain Michael Bracewell 27.
Pace bowler Abbas Afridi took three wickets for Pakistan for 20 runs in three overs.
In reply, Pakistan lost regular wickets with pace bowlers Will O'Rourke and Ben Sears doing most of the damage.
Pakistan struggled to form partnerships and needed 18 off the final over where Neesham took a wicket second ball and kept it tight.
Fakhar Zaman top scored with 61., while three other players reached the 20's but couldn't go on.
O'Rourke had figures of 3-27 from his four overs while Sears had 2-27. Other wicket takers were Neesham and Bracewell while there was a run out featuring Neessham and Jacob Duffy.
The first match of the series was washed out, Pakistan won the second by seven wickets and New Zealand won the third by seven wickets.
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