Opener Imamul Haq and Babar Azam hit solid half-centuries on Wednesday as Pakistan scored 287-6 against New Zealand in the third One-Day International (ODI) in Karachi.

Haq scored a 107-ball 90 for his 16th half-century while Azam made a 62-ball 54 for his 26th half-century, after New Zealand won the toss and opted to bowl on a slow-paced National Stadium pitch.

Trailing 2-0 after losing the first two matches in Rawalpindi by five and seven wickets respectively, New Zealand started well by getting the in-form opener Fakhar Zaman caught off Matt Henry for 19.

Zaman, who had scored three hundreds in his last three ODI innings had shaped up well before his fall, leaving it to Haq and Azam to steady the innings during their 108-run second-wicket stand.

Azam hit three boundaries and a six before he chopped one onto his stumps off Henry.

Haq, who hit seven boundaries and a six, was bowled by pacer Adam Milne in the 38th over.

Abdullah Shafique struggled again as he managed just 19, but Agha Salman (31) helped Mohammad Rizwan (32) add 54 runs for the fifth wicket to lift the total.

In the final overs, Mohammad Nawaz and Shadab Khan also chipped in with 11 and 21 not out respectively.

Henry was the best bowler for New Zealand, taking 3-54.

Pakistan lead the five-match series 2-0 with the remaining matches also in Karachi on Friday and Sunday.

Teams

Pakistan: Babar Azam (captain), Fakhar Zaman, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim, Agha Salman, Abdullah Shafique, Shadab Khan

New Zealand: Tom Latham (captain), Mark Chapman, Cole McConchie, Matt Henry, Henry Shipley, Adam Milne, Tom Blundell, Daryl Mitchell, Henry Nicholls, Ish Sodhi, Will Young

Umpires: Faisal Afridi (PAK) and Langton Rusere (ZIM) TV umpire: Joel Wilson (WI) Match referee: Chris Broad (ENG)