New Zealand secured their second consecutive victory in the ongoing five-match T20I series by easily chasing down a target of 136 runs against Pakistan at Dunedin's University Oval on Tuesday.
In a rain-affected match, Pakistan posted a total of 135-9 from 15 overs.
The chase saw key contributions from Tim Seifert (45 off 22) and Finn Allen (38 off 16), while Mitchell Hay and Michael Bracewell remained unbeaten at the end.
Pakistan's bowling attack, led by Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf, managed to take crucial wickets but couldn’t halt New Zealand's progress.
Rauf claimed two wickets, while Khushdil Shah took one. New Zealand chased 137 run target in 13.1 overs, with a required run rate of 10.40.
Pakistan's bowlers struggled to contain New Zealand's aggressive batting, and despite some tight overs, they were unable to defend the total.
The fall of wickets for New Zealand came at 66, 87, 91, 97, and 132, but they comfortably reached the target to seal the win.
Earlier, Pakistan posted a modest total of 135 runs in their allotted 15 overs against New Zealand in the second T20 match at Dunedin, which was delayed due to rain.
The match, shortened to 15 overs per side, saw Pakistan’s batting line-up falter, with several key players failing to make significant contributions.
Opener Hassan Nawaz was dismissed for a duck, while Mohammad Haris (11), Khushdil Shah (2), Jahandad Khan (0), and Irfan Khan (11) failed to provide any stability to the innings.
However, captain Salman Agha led by example, scoring 46 runs, and Shadab Khan contributed 26 runs, providing some resistance. In the closing stages, Shaheen Afridi added a quickfire 22 runs. Despite these efforts, Pakistan was only able to reach 135 runs, with New Zealand's bowlers proving effective.
New Zealand's bowlers, led by Ish Sodhi, Jacob Duffy, Ben Sears, James Neesham, and Michael Bracewell, each took two wickets, restricting Pakistan's total.
Pakistan made one change to their playing XI, replacing Abrar Ahmed with Haris Rauf, while New Zealand included James Neesham and Ben Sears in place of Kyle Jamieson and Tim Robinson.
Playing XI:
Pakistan: Mohammad Haris (w), Hasan Nawaz, Salman Agha (c), Irfan Khan, Shadab Khan, Abdul Samad, Khushdil Shah, Jahandad Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Ali.
New Zealand: Tim Seifert, Finn Allen, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Mitchell Hay (w), Michael Bracewell (c), Zakary Foulkes, Jacob Duffy, Ish Sodhi, Ben Sears.
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