Auckland, March 21 -- A fiery century by Hasan Nawaz and top-class performances from pacers helped Pakistan keep the series alive, beating New Zealand by nine wickets in the third T20I at Auckland on Friday.

Replying to New Zealand's 204 runs, Pakistan achieved the target in 16 overs.

With this win, the five-match series stands at 2-1, with two matches left. Nawaz hit his first T20I ton in 44 balls, fastest by a Pakistan player, overtaking Babar Azam's 49-ball ton against South Africa in 2021.

Pakistan won the toss and elected to field first. Kiwis lost their openers Tim Seifert (19 in nine balls, with a four and two sixes) and Finn Allen (0) early to the pair of Haris Rauf and Shaheen Shah Afridi and were reduced to 43/2 in 4.1 overs....