PAK vs NZ 2nd T20: New Zealand crush Pakistan by five wickets in the 2nd T20, take a 2-0 lead in the series
Pakistan vs New Zealand: Michael Bracewell's New Zealand secured a comfortable five-wicket win over Pakistan in a rain-affected second T20i at the University Oval in Dunedin on Tuesday and this win helped them take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.
Chasing a good total of 136 runs, the Kiwis got their innings off to an explosive start, with opening batters Finn Allen & Tim Seifert stitching a 66-run stand for the opening wicket.
The latter was more aggressive, finding boundaries at will in all parts of the ground as he scored 45 runs in 22 balls before falling to Mohammad Ali. Following Seifert's departure, his partner Finn Allen carried on with this onslaught, adding 21 runs for the second wicket with Mark Chapman but, his entertaining inning of 38 runs in 16 balls came to an end as Jahandad Khan got the better of him, leaving the Michael Bracewell-led side at 87-2 in 6.6 overs.
Southpaw Mark Chapman failed to create any kind of impact with the bat, getting dimissed after scoring just a single run off the bowling of spinner Khushdil Shah. Pacer Haris Rauf then struck in the ninth over, removing all-rounder James Neesham for 14 runs, as the hosts lost their fourth wicket with 97 runs on the board to their name in 8.3 overs.
The duo of Mitch Hay and Daryl Mitchell then built a good partnership of 35 runs for the fifth wicket, bringing their side within touching distance of victory. However, seamer Rauf sent the latter back to the dugout for 14 runs, leaving the Kiwis at 132-5 in 13 overs.
Captain Bracewell then helped his team seal the win as he hit the winning runs alongside Mitch Hay, who remained not out on 21 runs, winning the game by five wickets and 11 deliveries to spare.
For the Shaheens, seamer Haris Rauf dismissed two Kiwi batters, while the trio of Khushdil Shah, Jahandad Khan and Mohammad Ali took one wicket each.
Talking about the batting performance of the Agha Salman-led outfit, they managed to post a decent score of 135 runs in a rain-affected second T20I of the five-match series versus New Zealand on Tuesday, 18th of March at the University Oval in Dunedin, thanks to the brilliant efforts of vice-captain Shadab Khan and skipper Salman Ali Agha. The match in Dunedin was reduced to 15 overs per side due to constant rain interruptions.
After being asked to wear the batting pads by New Zealand captain Michael Bracewell, the visitors suffered an early setback as opening batter Hasan Nawaz was sent back to the pavilion for a second successive duck in the series, falling to pacer Jacob Duffy in the very first over of the match.
The Green Shirts found themselves in further trouble when young pacer Ben Sears got the better of Mohammad Haris (11 runs in 10 balls) in the 4th over, leaving the 2022 T20 World Cup runners-up in a tricky situation at 19-2 in 3.1 overs.The duo of Captain Salman Agha and youngster Irfan Khan then started to stabilize the sinking ship of Pakistan as they got involved in a 31-run stand for the third wicket, easing off some of the early pressure created by the New Zealand bowlers.
Just when it looked like the Pakistanis will be coming back strongly in the match, Kiwis leg spinner Ish Sodhi turned things around in the seventh over of the match, striking twice to send both Khushdil Shah (2 runs) and Irfan Khan (11 runs) packing to the dugout, further increasing the problems of the visiting team as they were reduced to 50-4.
Despite the multiple setbacks, captain Salman carried on with his aggressive intent, constantly finding boundaries to accelerate the score of his team as he played a magnificent knock of 46 runs in 28 balls. He received a decent amount of support from vice-captain Shadab Khan, who contributed 24 valuable runs with the bat and didn't let his skipper feel the pressure.
Must Read: PAK vs NZ 2nd T20: Strongest Playing 11 of Pakistan for the 2nd T20i versus New Zealand
However, much to the dismay of the Pakistani fans, Agha who was looking to bring up his first half-century in T20I Cricket as the captain versus the Kiwis, was dealt a blow as Ben Sears got the better of him as the newly-appointed Pakistan captain mistimed a pull shot and hit the ball straight into the hands of Mark Chapman.
Following the dismissal of the 31-year-old, vice-captain Shadab Khan started playing aggressively, but his time in the middle was cut short by Jacob Duffy as he perished after scoring 26 runs.
Jahandad Khan's dismissal for a duck dealt Pakistan their seventh blow, leaving them reeling at 111-7 in 12.2 overs.
Jimmy Neesham dismissed young batsman Abdul Samad, who finished with 11 runs, stopping Pakistan from raising their total.
Shaheen Afridi went into bat as the innings was coming to an end and hit a vital 22 runs, helping Pakistan reach a manageable total. Ish Sodhi, Ben Sears, Jimmy Neesham, and Jacob Duffy all took two wickets for New Zealand.
Playing XI's of both teams
Pakistan: Irfan Khan, Mohammad Haris (WK), Salman Ali Agha (Captain), Hasan Nawaz, Abdul Samad, Shadab Khan, Jahandad Khan, Khushdil Shah, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Mohammad Ali.
New Zealand: Finn Allen, Tim Seifert, James Neesham, Mark Chapman, Michael Bracewell (Captain), Mitchell Hay (WK), Daryl Mitchell, Jacob Duffy, Zakary Foulkes, Ben Sears and Ish Sodhi.
Do Read: Shocking! Shashank Singh leaks inside details of PBKS playing 11 even before IPL 2025
