NZ beats Pakistan by 57 runs in 6th ODI

Auckland, Feb 5 (AP) Jesse Ryder hit six sixes in aninnings of 107 and Hamish Bennett took 4-46 to spur NewZealand to a 57-run win in the sixth one-day internationaltoday.

Pakistan won the series 3-2 - the second match was washedout - but New Zealand gained valuable confidence ahead of thismonth''s World Cup with only it''s second win in its past 16completed one-dayers.

New Zealand made 311-7 batting first, helped by Ryder''ssecond century in one-day internationals and a blazing 120-runstand between half century-makers Scott Styris and NathanMcCullum.

Pakistan lost early wickets in its run chase and was allout for 254 in 44.1 overs with Kamran Akmal top-scoring with89.

Ryder, batting No. 3 after Brendon McCullum was promotedto open, reached his century from 82 balls, holding togetherthe New Zealand innings after Pakistan had won the toss andbowled. New Zealand''s innings briefly flagged after Ryder wasout in the 36th over, producing only 50 runs in the next 10overs.

"It was good to get a few out of the middle of the battoday," Ryder said. "I was dropped down to three (in thebatting order) but it was a good position to get runs and itturned out to be a good day for me."

Styris and McCullum regained the lost momentum in anoutstanding partnership for the sixth wicket which ended whenMcCullum was out to the second-to-last ball of the innings.

McCullum made 65 from 50 balls with seven fours and threesixes and Styris was left 58 not out from 44 balls afterrunning out Kyle Mills from the final ball.

New Zealand was 240-5 when the powerplay began, lookingunlikely to reach 300, but McCullum and Styris transformed theinnings, battering 11 runs from the first powerplay over, 13from the second, 19 from the third and 14 from the fourth andfifth.

Shahid Afridi, who was confirmed yesterday as Pakistan''sWorld Cup captain - winning that role ahead of test captainMisbah ul-Haq who was omitted from today''s lineup - employedunusual bowling and fielding combinations during thepowerplay. (MORE) AP SNK