Pakistan struggle to find rhythm as NZ win second T20
Cricket
The match was reduced to a 15-over game due to rain.
DUNEDIN (Dunya News) – New Zealand have defeated Pakistan in second T20 played here on Tuesday.
New Zealand chased down the target in 14th over. Tim Seifert was decalred man of the match for his quickfire 45 off 22 balls, featuring five sixes and three fours. Forty-two of his runs came off the boundaries. He hit Shaheen Shah Afridi for 26 runs in an over.
Mohammad Ali conceded 34 runs in two overs, Shaheen Afridi 31 runs in three, while Jahandad Khan gave away 23 runs in seven deliveries.
Pakistan top order continued to struggle against New Zealand. Opener Hassan Nawaz departed for second consecutive duck, while Mohammad Haris managed just 11 runs before being dismissed.
Salman Agha (46), Shadab Khan (26) and Shaheen Shah Afridi (22) were the prominent Pakistani batters in the first innings.
For New Zealand, Jacob Duffy, Ben Sears, James Neesham, and Ish Sodhi claimed two wickets each.
Middle-order batsman Irfan Khan Niazi also failed to make an impact, scoring only 11, while Khushdil Shah was dismissed for just 2 runs.
Earlier, New Zealand won the toss and opted to bowl first.
The match was reduced to a 15-over game due to rain. Pakistan made a change in their side which played the first T20. Haris Rauf has been included in the team in place of Abrar Ahmed.
New Zealand won the first match of the series by 9 wickets with 59 balls remaining. Pakistan will likely be desperate to level the series. The expectations are high as both teams strive to fine-tune their strategy for the forthcoming T20 World Cup.
However, New Zealand enters this match determined to maintain their winning streak and extend their lead in the five-match series. Their bowlers, led by Kyle Jamieson and Jacob Duffy, were in fine form in the opening game, destroying Pakistan's struggling batting lineup with ruthless efficiency.
The Kiwis will try to keep up that pace because they know that winning here would put them in a strong position to win the series. They are missing a few key players in this series, but it won't matter much against the visitors at home after a dominant performance in the first match and all of the momentum on their side.
Tim Seifert and Finn Allen provided an excellent start to the innings with the bat in the first match, and the Kiwis will be hoping for them to repeat their performance.
Pakistan's preparations for this match have been hampered by off-field turmoil. Khushdil Shah was punished for colliding with Zakary Foulkes of New Zealand during the first T20I. Even though no one was seriously hurt, the incident was another indication of the anxiety that has been building on the pitch. Pakistan were bowled out for just 91 runs in Christchurch, which was a glaring low that was indicative of a worrying decline in their T20I batting performance.
Pakistan squad: Mohammad Haris (wk), Hasan Nawaz, Salman Agha (capt), Irfan Khan, Shadab Khan, Khushdil Shah, Abdul Samad, Jahandad Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Mohammed Ali
New Zealand squad: Tim Seifert, Finn Allen, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Mitchell Hay (wk), Michael Bracewell (capt), Zakary Foulkes, Ish Sodhi, Ben Sears, Jacob Duffy
