New Zealand crush Pakistan again, take 2-0 lead in the series

New Zealand once again dominated Pakistan in the second T20I, defeating the Green Shirts by five wickets at Otago Oval, Dunedin on Tuesday.

After winning the toss, New Zealand chose to bowl first, as the match was reduced to 15 overs per side after a spell of rain. Pakistan managed to score 135/9.

Salman Ali Agha led the batting effort with a solid 46 (28), hitting four fours and three sixes. Shadab Khan played a quick cameo of 26 (14), including two fours and two sixes. 

Shaheen Afridi added valuable runs at the end, scoring 22 (14) with two fours and a six. Other contributions came from Irfan Khan Niazi 11 (9) and Abdul Samad 11 (7). However, Khushdil Shah 2 (2), Jahandad Khan 0 (2), and Hassan Nawaz 0 (3) failed to make an impact.

For New Zealand, Jacob Duffy, James Neesham, and Ish Sodhi took two wickets each, while Ben Sears got one wicket.

Chasing 136, New Zealand’s batters started aggressively. Tim Seifert smashed 45 off 22 balls, hitting three fours and five sixes, while Finn Allen blasted 38 off 16 balls with one four and five sixes.

Mitchell Hay scored 21 off 16, and Michael Bracewell, five off 2, stayed not out as New Zealand comfortably reached 137/5 in 13.1 overs.

For Pakistan, Haris Rauf took two wickets, while Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Ali, and Jahandad Khan got one wicket each.

With this win, New Zealand now leads the series 2-0. Pakistan will have to fight back in the third T20I, which is scheduled for March 20.