In a series that was supposed to be Pakistan’s moment of redemption post a tumultuous Champions Trophy campaign, turned into a painful cricketing humiliation — at the hands of New Zealand’s B-team.

A 4-1 thrashing in the T20Is followed by a 3-0 whitewash in the ODIs. That’s seven games. One win. And zero excuses.

From Kane Williamson to Devon Conway, from Trent Boult to Rachin Ravindra, and even captain Tom Latham — gave this series a miss, either opting for the IPL or nursing injuries. Will Young missed the last two games to witness the birth of his child.

And yet, they whitewashed a Pakistani side that had Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Rizwan and all the top names.

In Auckland, Ben Sears — a blip on most radar screens a year ago — snatched a career-best 5 for 34. The 42-overs-a-side game didn’t save Pakistan from yet another collapse. All out for 221.

Another match dominated by New Zealand’s "reserves". This was their sixth win in seven matches.

Eleven absent, eleven reasons to worry for Pakistan

With eleven of New Zealand’s first-choice players unavailable — including every World Cup starter except one — the Kiwi selectors had to scrape through their local league.

But Ben Sears, Jacob Duffy, Tim Robinson, Zak Foulkes, Will O’Rourke — names not even New Zealand’s neighbours might recognise — became serial tormentors of Pakistan’s celebrated top order.

New Zealand’s home summer was supposed to test their depth. It ended up exposing Pakistan’s illusion of one.

Michael Bracewell led from the front, and Sears didn’t just make a name — he may have ended a few Pakistani careers.

And while the Black Caps found new heroes, Pakistan's tried and tested names faltered once again. Babar Azam, despite scoring 129 runs across three ODI innings, failed to control the tempo of a single match.

Mohammad Rizwan managed only 72 runs in three matches at a sluggish strike rate of 77.42, often chewing up deliveries without offering returns.

The bowling department didn’t fare any better. Shaheen Afridi, leading the attack, picked up just two wickets in four T20 games.

Naseem Shah, returning from injury, took only three wickets in three ODI games while leaking runs in key overs. Shadab Khan managed to pick only 1 wicket in 5 T20I matches.

The supposed white-ball resurgence under Rizwan and Babar now lies in tatters. New Zealand outplayed, out-thought, and outclassed Pakistan.

It wasn’t just a series loss. It was a lesson in humility.