New Zealand's Mark Chapman ruled out of 3rd ODI against Pakistan; Seifert remains with squad

Mount Maunganui [New Zealand], April 4 (ANI): New Zealand batter Mark Chapman, who missed the second ODI against Pakistan due to a hamstring injury, will sit out of the third and final game of the series on Saturday at Mount Maunganui.
Tim Seifert, who was announced as Chapman's replacement in the second ODI, will continue to serve as his replacement. Pakistan's nightmare, Chapman, sustained a minor hamstring tear while fielding during the ODI series opener in Napier.
"Chapman was ruled out of the second ODI in Hamilton with a minor hamstring tear, and an assessment at training today revealed he has not recovered sufficiently to take his place in the XI for the final match of the home summer," New Zealand Cricket said in a statement on Friday.
Before sustaining the injury, Chapman blew away Pakistan's star-studded lineup with his career-best 132, which paved the way for New Zealand's resounding 73-run triumph. Even though Chapman had to sit out of the second ODI, New Zealand didn't break a sweat to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
While the first ODI had a touch of competitiveness, the second match reverberated with the Kiwis' dominance. Pakistan were beaten comprehensively in all facets of the game. Mitchell Hay's unbeaten 99* tormented Pakistan bowlers, while Ben Sears, with his maiden five-wicket haul, was a nightmare for the Men in Green batters.
Out of the top-six batters, including Babar Azam (1), Abdullah Shafique (1), Salman Agha (9), Mohammad Rizwan (5) and Imam-ul-Haq (3), only Tayyab Tahir (13) was able to hit the double-digit mark. At the same time, the rest settled for a single-digit score.
Seifert was called in for the second ODI in the wake of his blistering performances in the five-match T20I series. The 30-year-old played an invaluable role with his scorching performances as the Blackcaps clobbered Pakistan and sealed a comprehensive 4-1 triumph.
The experienced wicket-keeper batter ended the five-match affair as the leading run-scorer across both sides, boasting 249 runs at a strike rate of 207.50 and was crowned with the Player of the Series award.
Even though Seifert has been named in the squad, he hasn't played an ODI for the Kiwis in the past five years. His last appearance dates back to January 2019 against Sri Lanka.
In the second ODI, Chapman was replaced by Sears, which saw Seifert sit out of the fixture. Apart from Chapman, New Zealand lost Tom Latham for the series after he fractured his hand during training before the first ODI. (ANI)