Pakistan faced another embarrassing defeat in their ongoing New Zealand tour, as the hosts secured a 5-wicket win in the second T20 of the five-match series. With this victory, New Zealand now leads the series 2-0.
The match, reduced to 15 overs due to rain, saw Pakistan struggling with the bat. They managed to score 135/9, with captain Salman Agha top-scoring with 46 runs. Shadab Khan (26) and Shaheen Afridi (22) provided some resistance, but the rest of the batting lineup failed. Jacob Duffy, Ben Sears, James Neesham, and Ish Sodhi each took two wickets for the Kiwis.
Chasing 136, New Zealand openers Finn Allen (38) and Tim Seifert (45) gave a solid start with a 66-run opening partnership. Despite losing a few wickets in the middle overs, Mitchell Hay (21) ensured the chase was completed in 13.1 overs with five wickets in hand. Haris Rauf took 2 wickets for Pakistan, while Mohammad Ali, Kushdil Shah, and Jahandad Khan took one each.
With this dominant performance, the Kiwis are now just one win away from sealing the series. Pakistan will need a drastic turnaround to stay in the competition.
