After being swept out for 91 in Christchurch, Pakistan’s batting performance improved in Dunedin, but their 135/9 in a rain-shortened 15-over-a-side match in the second T20I was insufficient to pose a threat to New Zealand. The hosts grabbed a 2-0 lead in the five-match series after easily chasing down the target and winning by five wickets with 2.5 overs remaining.
The pacers from New Zealand chose to field first and took advantage of the dynamic track to score early. Mohammad Haris (11), caught at third man, was removed by Ben Sears, while Jacob Duffy dismissed Hasan Nawaz for a duck, his second in as many games. Ish Sodhi’s twin strike in the seventh over took off Irfan Khan (11) and Khushdil Shah (2), leaving the visitors reeling at 52/4 as Pakistan’s top order once again struggled against pace and bounce.
The only bright spot for the visitors was captain Salman Agha, who scored a valiant 46 off 28 balls with four fours and three sixes. Shadab Khan (26 off 14), who made a quick appearance before losing to Duffy, provided him with some support. Regular wickets at the other end, however, undid their efforts. James Neesham removed Abdul Samad and Jahandad Khan with two strikes in the 13th over. Pakistan reached a total that was never quite sufficient, but at least gave the bowlers something to defend thanks to a late burst from Shaheen Afridi (22* off 14), which included two boundaries and a six.
With Shaheen Afridi bowling a maiden over to Tim Seifert, the run chase got off to an unimpressive start. But the next over saw a sharp change in momentum as Finn Allen (38 off 16) destroyed Mohammad Ali with three sixes to put New Zealand on the attack. Then, in the third over, Seifert went all out, taking on Shaheen and smashing four sixes, including a huge blow over deep mid-wicket.
With significant breakthroughs, Pakistan was able to regain the lead.
New Zealand essentially put the chase on autopilot by racing to 44/0 before the conclusion of the third over. Jahandad Khan trapped Allen leg before wicket before Mark Chapman’s slow 1 off 6 and Mohammad Ali dismissed Seifert (45 off 22) for his maiden T20I wicket. With 39 runs remaining, Pakistan momentarily felt they had an opportunity when Haris Rauf removed James Neesham (5) in the ninth over. However, when Shadab Khan missed a straightforward opportunity off Mitchell Hay at cover, it appeared as though the moment had passed. But he quickly made amends by dismissing Daryl Mitchell (14 off 14) with a spectacular diving catch.
To be fair, even if Pakistan was able to take some wickets, the early strikes from Allen and Seifert had made sure that the necessary rate was never a worry. The hosts were quietly led home by Mitchell Hay (21 off 16) and skipper Michael Bracewell (4), who completed the victory with a boundary off Jahandad Khan in the 14th over.
Brief Scores: Pakistan 135/9 in 15 overs (Salman Agha 46, Shadab Khan 26; Ish Sodhi 2-17, Jacob Duffy 2/20) lost to New Zealand 137/5 in 13.1 overs (Tim Seifert 45, Finn Allen 38; Haris Rauf 2-20) by 5 wickets
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