What's his secret? "I'm just really clear at the moment, I'm seeing the ball really well and I guess being still at the point of contact and I think that goes a long way in being able to be a hitter," Phillips said after New Zealand's 60-run win in Karachi. "I haven't always got it right in the past, but I've got a little bit of a feel for it for the moment."

What was it that held batters back before this partnership? "I think we've played a different pitch and it's played a different way every time we've been here [Karachi].

"The pacers I think were definitely harder to play in the day when the ball was going up and down a lot. The way Matt Henry and Will O'Rourke bowled [in the chase], it was a testament to how good they did but I think during the day the way the Pakistan boys bowled, especially at the top, made it quite tough for us to get away early on.

"I think we've been really adaptable to different styles of pitches, and it was nice to see some turn out there in the evening."

New Zealand's next game is against Bangladesh in Rawalpindi on February 24, before they fly to Dubai to take on India on March 2. They will have to keep adapting for a while more to make the semi-finals and beyond, but this was a fine start in that direction.