A dramatic hailstorm at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium forced the abandonment of the fourth Twenty20 (T20) between Pakistan and New Zealand on Thursday, ending the tourists' hopes of winning the five-match series.

The Black Caps made a promising start to their bid to level up the series at 2-2 and had reached 164 for five when the hail started falling with seven deliveries remaining in their innings.

Mark Chapman, who contributed an unbeaten 71 to the tally from 42 balls, said it quickly became apparent that play would not be resumed.

"Hail wasn't something we thought was on the cards. It whited out the whole outfield, it was something we hadn't seen before," the middle order batter said.

"We're looking forward to that fifth game. Even drawing a series against a very strong Pakistan side in their own conditions is no mean feat."

The final T20 takes place in Rawalpindi on Monday and will be followed by a five-match ODI series between the two nations starting on April 27.