New Zealand continued their superior performance in the T20I series against Pakistan, winning the second encounter at University Oval by a convincing 5-wicket margin. The victory handed them a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.
In a rain-affected match where both teams batted 15 overs, Pakistan, after being prompted to bat, scored 135/9. Salman Ali Agha, the captain, started the onslaught with a 28-ball 46, comprising four boundaries and three sixes. Shadab Khan (26) and Shaheen Shah Afridi (22 not out) added useful runs.
For New Zealand, two wickets each were taken by Ben Sears, Ish Sodhi, Jacob Duffy, and James Neesham.
Pursuing a target of 136, New Zealand's top order of Tim Seifert (45) and Finn Allen (38) got off to a solid start, putting on 66 runs for the first wicket. New Zealand achieved the target in 13.1 overs, losing five wickets in the process. Pakistan's Haris Rauf was the most successful of their bowlers, claiming 2 wickets for 20 runs in three overs.
The skipper earlier on had opted to bowl first, and his bowlers answered soon. Duffy contributed immediately by dismissing opener Hasan Nawaz in the first over and Sears who removed Mohammad Haris for 11.
Agha then attempted to counterattack, hitting some boundary-laden strokes to stabilize the innings. However, the spin of Sodhi turned the tide for New Zealand, as he first removed Irfan Khan and then trapped Khushdil Shah LBW just two balls later.
Agha's energetic 46 had given Pakistan hope of a fighting total, but his wicket in the tenth over to Sears left them in trouble. Shadab (26 off 14 balls) and Afridi (22 not out off 14 balls) contributed towards Pakistan's total of 135/9 at the end of their innings.
New Zealand, in turn, did not lose any time in their chase for the target. Allen started the chase with a bang, smashing three huge sixes off Mohammad Ali in the second over. Seifert joined the assault next, smacking four sixes off Afridi in the third over, and by the third over, New Zealand had already smashed seven sixes.
Seifert's firebrand knock of 45 off 22 balls ended in the fifth over when he mis-timed a slower one from Mohammad Ali, being caught at mid-on. Allen continued to pile the pressure on, hitting Jahandad Khan for consecutive sixes in the seventh over before being LBW on the next ball. His 38 off 16 balls set New Zealand up nicely at 88/2 in seven overs, with only 48 runs needed from the remaining 48 balls.
Mark Chapman was dropped cheaply by Khushdil Shah in the following over, and Rauf fired twice, disposing of Daryl Mitchell and James Neesham in successive deliveries. But Mitchell Hay (21 not out off 16 balls) and Michael Bracewell, with a crucial boundary, helped New Zealand win with five wickets to spare.
Pakistan 135-9, 15 overs (Salman Ali Agha 46, Shadab Khan 26, Shaheen Shah Afridi 22 not out; Ish Sodhi 2-17, Jacob Duffy 2-20, Ben Sears 2-23, James Neesham 2-26)
New Zealand 137/5 in 13.1 overs (Tim Seifert 45, Finn Allen 38; Haris Rauf 2-20) defeated Pakistan 135/9 in 15 overs (Salman Agha 46, Shadab Khan 26; Jacob Duffy 2-20, Ben Sears 2-23) by five wickets.
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