New Zealand smash Pakistan in rain-hit 2nd T20I

New Zealand is dominating Pakistan’s tour, making it unfavorable for the visitors. The sub-continent nation had named a mixed squad of youngsters and some experienced players for this tour. They were embarrassed in the first T20 by the Kiwis. Pakistan just posted 91 runs on the board and New Zealand chased the target in 10 overs with nine wickets to spare.

Things didn’t go well in the second match. It was a rain-affected match that saw a loss of overs for both sides. Each innings lasted for 15 overs. New Zealand won the toss and elected to bowl.

Another failure at the top

Rizwan and Babar were replaced by a younger pair at the top. Mohammad Haris opened along with Hasan Nawaz. These two were up against a quality line-up and played in a different condition than their home.

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Hasan continued to struggle. His second ball duck in the first match was followed by a third ball duck in this match. The opening wicket came in the very first over. Mohammad Haris also continued with his struggles as he was dismissed on 11.

Salman Agha Shines Amid Pakistan’s Batting Struggles

Salman Agha has been handed the captaincy role for this series. He came after the fall of the first wicket. The all-rounder showed positive signs and ended the innings with the highest score by a Pakistani batter. Salman scored 46 in just 28 balls.

This was the only positive for the men in green. Others struggled to score runs. Shadab and Shaheen chipped in with cameos of 26 and 22 runs respectively. Pakistan managed to put 135 runs on the board in 15 overs.

Jacob Duffy once again troubled the opposition with his line. He took two wickets. Other than him, Ben Sears, James Neesham, and Ish Sodhi added a couple of wickets each to their tally.

New Zealand: Lightning start

New Zealand openers destroyed Pakistan’s bowling in the first match. They needed over nine runs per over to chase the match. Tim Seifert timed the ball well in the first match and continued his show in the second match. Shaheen Afridi started the innings with a maiden. In the next four powerplay overs, New Zealand scored 66 runs. Shaheen was smashed for 26 runs in one over by Seifert and that included four sixes.

The duo posted 66 runs on the board for the first wicket. Seifert lost his wicket on 45 runs. His strike rate of 204 turned the match completely in favor of the home team. Finn Allen also played a blinder of 38 runs in just 16 balls. He smashed five sixes in the innings.

Other Kiwi batters had only one task and that was to take the team over the line. Pakistani bowlers showed some spirit and tried to fight back. They took five wickets in the innings, with Haris Rauf taking two. In the end, New Zealand reached the target with 11 balls and five wickets remaining. They have taken a 2-0 lead in a five-match series. The next match will be played at Eden Park in Auckland.