Pakistan captain Misbah-ul Haq heaped praise on man-of-the-match Haris Sohail and the contribution of Shahid Afridi as his side pulled off an unlikely win to go 1-0 up in the five-match ODI series against New Zealand last night.

Sohail not only scored a match-winning 85 not out and put together 110 runs for the seventh wicket, but did a fine job as the fifth bowler, keeping the score down.

– Haris Sohail stars in Pakistan's win over New Zealand in First ODI

“It was a very tough match for us, especially after we lost (Mohammad) Hafeez as a bowler. And I thought Sohail played wonderfully," Misbah said.

"We know he has been consistent as a batsman, but he did a brilliant job as our fifth bowler.

“Credit must also go to Mushtaq (Mohammad, the bowling coach) and Waqar (Younis) for identifying him and making him bowl for hours during the Test matches we played against Australia and New Zealand. He has a good temperament while batting, and he showed that quality while bowling too.

“As for Afridi, it really was a special innings. He played according to the situation, and he carried Sohail well.

“This is the kind of performance we expect from a senior player like Afridi,” he added.

New Zealand captain Kane Williamson was disappointed his side could not pull off the win in a match they dominated for most parts. 

“On the back of Ross’ superb knock we had a reasonable total on the board, but we didn’t do the job well with the ball,” he said.

“We picked up the wickets early, but couldn’t finish the job. Pakistan played extremely well and deserved to win.”