ISLAMABAD (PEN) : New Zealand’s explosive openers powered them to a dominant five-wicket win over Pakistan in the second T20I at Dunedin, taking a 2-0 lead in the five-match series. The home side reached 137/5 in just 18.1 overs, surpassing Pakistan’s rain-affected total of 135/9 from 15 overs.
Blazing Start from New Zealand’s Openers
Tim Seifert and Finn Allen provided a blistering start to New Zealand’s chase, with the duo hitting seven sixes in their opening partnership. Seifert, despite facing a maiden off Shaheen Shah Afridi’s opening over, made up for it by smashing 26 runs off Afridi’s second over, including four sixes. He went on to top-score for New Zealand with 45 off just 22 balls.
Allen followed suit with a quick-fire 38 off 16 balls, also clearing the boundary five times. Their aggressive partnership gave New Zealand an early advantage, but four quick wickets in the middle overs kept Pakistan in the game.
Pakistan’s Struggle with the Bat
Earlier, Pakistan’s batting was underwhelming in the rain-affected match. After being sent in to bat, they lost opener Hasan Nawaz for a duck, leaving them at 19/2 in the fourth over. Captain Salman Agha led a brief recovery with a composed 46 off 28 balls, hitting four fours and three sixes. Shadab Khan also contributed with a quick-fire 26 off 14 balls, while Shaheen Afridi added 22 not out off 14 balls to take Pakistan to 135/9.
New Zealand’s Bowling Attack
New Zealand’s bowlers made timely breakthroughs to keep Pakistan’s total under control. Ben Sears and Jimmy Neesham, both returning to the side, each took two wickets. Their contributions, along with support from other bowlers, restricted Pakistan to a total that proved insufficient for victory.
New Zealand Eyes Series Win
With a 2-0 lead, New Zealand can seal the series with a win in the third T20I in Auckland on Friday. Their dominant performance in Dunedin has put them in a strong position to claim the series, while Pakistan will need to regroup quickly to stay in contention.
