New Delhi: New Zealand has continued to apparently give Pakistan cricketers sleepless of nights in the last one month period. On Tuesday, it was no different after the Salman Agha-led side suffered defeat in the second T20 International match at the University Oval in Dunedin. The Black Caps registered five-wicket win in a rain-curtailed match, wherein each innings was reduced to 15 overs rather than the norm of 20.
New Zealand pacers Jacob Duffy (2 for 20) and Ben Sears (2 for 23) were once again turned out to be the tormentors of a feeble Pakistan batting order with the duo claiming two wickets each to reduce Pakistan at 52 for 4 at the end of the seventh over. Pakistan skipper Salman provided some crucial runs, firing 46 runs in 28 balls with the help of four boundaries and three sixes, striking impressively at 164.28.
He was caught by Mark Chapman off Sears’s bowling at the halfway mark and missed the opportunity to score his maiden T20I half-century. Shadab Khan (26 runs off 14 deliveries) and Shaheen Afridi (22 runs off 14 deliveries) played late handy cameos to push the score to 135 for 9 in the first innings.
Allen, Seifert take responsibility of chase
Shaheen started the defence with a maiden over to Tim Seifert but then Finn Allen smashed three sixes in the following over to rookie pacer Mohammad Ali to get into the act. The openers didn’t reach their half-centuries but played briskly to power the hosts to 66 runs for loss of one wicket at the end of the powerplay (five overs in this match).
Seifert was the first to depart after hammering 45 runs off 22 balls with Ali getting rid of him in the fifth over. Allen was pinned before the wickets by Jahandad Khan on 38. Daryl Mitchell departed for a run-a-ball 14 after getting caught by Shadab off Haris Rauf’s bowling in the 13th over.
Mitchell Hay (21 off 16 balls) hit a boundary and a six to wrap the chase with 11 balls to spare. New Zealand have taken a 2-0 lead in the five-match T20I series and the two teams will now move to Auckland to play the third match on Friday (March 21).
New Zealand secured a convincing five-wicket victory over Pakistan in the rain-curtailed second T20I in Dunedin, taking a 2-0 lead in the series. Pakistan’s batting faltered, reaching only 135/9, despite Salman Agha’s 46. New Zealand’s chase was spearheaded by Finn Allen (38) and Tim Seifert (45), reaching the target with time to spare. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
