Pakistan convincingly beat New Zealand by 147 runs in this evening's third one-day international to take a 2-1 lead in the five-game series.

It was Pakistan who won the toss and they chose to bat - a decision that proved fruitful as they reached 364/7, with 125 of the runs coming in the final 10 overs.

Opener Ahmed Shehzad led from the front with 113 runs off 120 balls and it was a target that the Black Caps never looked likely to threaten.

Their reply got off to a poor start when Anton Devcich was caught by Sarfraz Ahmed in the second over before he had troubled the scoreboard.

Shahid Afridi, after whacking 55 from 26 with the bat, was Pakistan's star bowler with three wickets for just 37 runs from his 9.2 overs.

All three of his dismissals were clean-bowled, including the one that sealed victory when Luke Ronchi (41) saw his wickets hit. Kane Williamson was New Zealand's top scorer with 46 runs off 52 balls.

Pakistan will seal a series victory if they win the fourth ODI, which takes place in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.