Pakistan continued to impress in the ongoing T20I tri-series in New Zealand as they beat the hosts by six wickets on Saturday.

Captain Babar Azam led from the front with an unbeaten 79 off 53 balls and shared a 61-run stand with Shadab Khan as Pakistan chased down a 148-run target with 10 balls to spare.

New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson made the unusual decision to bat first after winning the toss and the Black Caps managed only 147/8 in their 20 overs.

While the Pakistan bowlers, led by Haris Rauf and Mohammad Wasim, kept things tight, the home team bowlers found the job difficult as temperatures dropped to single figures and the outfield at Hagley Oval became damp and dewy, making the ball wet and slippery.

Devon Conway (36 off 35 balls) and Williamson (31 off 30 balls) provided New Zealand with the platform to go for a bigger total, but after the two were dismissed within two overs of each other, their innings lost momentum.

Mark Chapman tried to boost the total with a 32 off 16balls, but New Zealand lost too many wickets in the last few overs which hurt their scoring.

Pakistan stumbled early in their chase, losing Mohammad Rizwan in the fifth over and Shan Masood in the next, but Babar and Shadab took advantage of the conditions to put the pressure back on theBlack Caps. Shadab struck two fours and two sixes to make a 22-ball 34.

Pakistan had beaten Bangladesh in their first match and these wins will work well for them in the lead-up to the T20World Cup, which begins in Australia on October 16.

Brief scores: New Zealand 147/8 in 20 overs (Haris Rauf 3/28). Pakistan 149/4 in 18.2 ovs (Babar Azam 79 n.o.). Pakistan won by 6 wickets.

Written with inputs from AP/PTI