New Zealand edged out Pakistan by one run to get their World Twenty20 Super Eight campaign up and running at Bridgetown.
The Black Caps totalled 133 for seven from their 20 overs and then restricted their opponents to 132 for seven - with Salman Butt's unbeaten 67 off 54 balls proving in vain at the Kensington Oval.
Captain Daniel Vettori led by example for the victors with 38 from 34 balls, while opener Brendon McCullum cracked 33 from 29.
It all means the Black Caps bounced back after their 13-run defeat to South Africa, while Pakistan would be knocked out of the tournament if South Africa defeated England in today's later match.
Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi won the toss and put New Zealand in to bat.
McCullum and Jesse Ryder put on 34 for the opening wicket before the latter was caught by Abdur Rehman off the bowling of Mohammad Sami for seven.
Martin Guptill had managed just two off 10 deliveries when he was caught by Umar Akmal off Rehman - and it was 55 for three when McCullum top-edged a Rehman delivery and was caught by Sami.
Ross Taylor was caught behind by Kamran Akmal off Sami for three, bringing Scott Styris to the crease.
He put on 40 for the fifth wicket with Vettori, a partnership which only ended when Styris was bowled for 21 by Afridi with the scoreboard reading 98.
Gareth Hopkins was next to go - caught for two by Rehman off Afridi - making it 104 for six in the 17th over, then Vettori was run out in the penultimate over of the innings.
Akmal was the first to fall when Pakistan replied, bowled for five by Kyle Mills.
Mohammad Hafeez lasted just four deliveries - although two of them were boundaries - caught by Hopkins off Shane Bond.
Umar Akmal went first ball, caught by wicketkeeper Hopkins off Mills, then - with the score on 42 - Misbah-ul-Haq was lbw to Ian Butler for three.
Afridi (11) was caught by Nathan McCullum off Butler and at 58 for five in the 10th over Pakistan were in trouble.
However, Butt and Abdul Razzaq put on 53 in 8.2 overs to keep their hopes alive, with the stand ending when Razzaq was caught by Taylor off Nathan McCullum trying to lift a delivery over midwicket.
Butt was crucial to Pakistan's hopes - doing most of the work as 12 runs were scored off the next eight deliveries.
Pakistan went into the final over, bowled by Butler, needing 11 runs.
After a dot ball Butt found the boundary with two of the next three deliveries and Pakistan needed three off two balls to win.
A scrambled bye left them needing two off the final delivery - but Rehman picked out Guptill at deep square leg to give man of the match Butler figures of three for 19 and New Zealand a precious victory.
