The Green Shirts failed to chase down a target of 179 runs as their entire batting line-up collapsed in front of the Kiwi bowlers who restricted the former to 174 to seal a four-run victory in the fourth T20I played at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Thursday.
New Zealand took a 2-1 lead in the five-match series after grabbing victory today. The two sides will face each other in the final match on April 27.
Pakistan struggled early in the chase with skipper Babar Azam (5) returning to the pavilion in the second over.
Young batsmen Saim Ayub (20) and Usman Khan (16) pressed the bat aggressively but were dismissed in quick succession.
Fakhar Zaman was joined in the middle by Shadab Khan (7) but the all-rounder could not repeat his heroics from the last game.
Fakhar continued to stay from one end while Iftikhar Ahmed worked with him. The duo added 61 runs but William O'Rourke struck at a crucial moment in the chase to put the home side on the back foot.
The visitors kept up the pressure with the removal of set-batsman Fakhar, who scored 61 off 45 balls.
All-rounder Imad Wasim (22*) struggled to take Pakistan over the finish line to the last delivery, but the home side fell four runs short to finish on 174/8.
O'Rourke was the pick of the bowlers for the Black Caps, picking three wickets in 27 runs, while Ben Sears took two in the same number of runs.
Earlier, New Zealand posted a total of 178/7 after being put into bat first.
The visitors got off to a blistering start from openers Tim Robinson and Tom Blundell. The duo put on 56 runs for the first wicket before Zaman Khan got the better of Blundell, who made 28 runs from 15 balls fueled by five fours.
Robinson retained the attack from the other end and was joined in the middle by Dean Foxcroft. The 21-year-old reached his first T20I fifty before being dismissed for 51 by Abbas Afridi with the help of Iftikhar Ahmed taking a superb catch on the boundary.
The home side dominated the middle half thanks to quiet passes and managed goals from last game heroes Mark Chapman and Foxcroft.
Shadab Khan took a brilliant catch to dismiss Chapman (9) off the bowling of Iftikhar Ahmed while Foxcroft (34) was dismissed by Usama Mir.
New Zealand captain Michael Bracewell tried to increase the strike count in the final overs but could not outrun the Pakistan bowlers' plan.
Bracewell, who made 27 off 20, was removed by Abbas while Josh Clarkson's stumps rattled the following delivery. The outgoing pacer finished as Pakistan's top bowler, taking 3/20.
The visitors ended up on 178/7 when Mohammad Amir removed Ish Sodhi on the last ball of the innings.
Playing XI
Pakistan: Babar Azam (c), Saim Ayub, Usman Khan (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim, Usama Mir, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Zaman Khan.
New Zealand: TA Blundell (wk), TB Robinson, D Foxcroft, MS Chapman, JDS Neesham, Michael Bracewell (c), JA Clarkson, Ish Sodhi, JA Duffy, BV Sears, W O'Rourke.
