NZ humiliate Pak in second T20I

DUNEDIN:

New Zealand's openers went on a six-hitting blitz on Tuesday to thrash Pakistan by five wickets and go 2-0 up in their Twenty20 series.

The home side reached 137-5 with 11 balls to spare in Dunedin to take control of the five-match series after Pakistan posted 135-9 off 15 overs in a rain-reduced second match.

New Zealand's highlight was a ferocious opening stand between Tim Seifert and Finn Allen in which seven of the first eight scoring shots were sixes.

Remarkably, Seifert played out a maiden off Shaheen Shah Afridi's opening over before Allen cleared the small University Oval boundary three times in the second over, bowled by Mohammad Ali.

Seifert then smashed 26 off Afridi's second over, including four sixes.

Seifert, who top-scored with 44 in the nine-wicket win in Christchurch on Sunday, departed on 45 off 22 balls.

Allen fell soon afterwards for 38 off 16, with the openers hammering five sixes each.

Four New Zealand wickets fell in the space of four overs midway through the chase before Mitch Hay's unbeaten 21 made the outcome safe.

Earlier, captain Salman Agha top-scored with 46 off 28 balls, launching a recovery after Pakistan were sent in and lost opener Hasan Nawaz without scoring for the second time in the series.

They were 19-2 in the fourth over before the skipper embarked on a knock that featured four fours and three sixes.

Shadab Khan was aggressive in the middle order with 26 off 14 balls and Afridi was not-out 22 off 14.

Four New Zealand bowlers took two wickets, including seamer Ben Sears and all-rounder Jimmy Neesham, who were both recalled, in place of Tim Robinson and Kyle Jamieson.

New Zealand can wrap up the series if victorious in game three in Auckland on Friday.

Speaking at the post-match conference, Agha acknowledged the team's improvement compared to the previous match but emphasized the need for better performances in key areas.

"It was freezing. It was a good game compared to the last one. We batted better, and our fielding was outstanding. Bowling in patches was good, but we need to understand the different bounce here," Agha stated

"After the powerplay, we bowled well, and Haris bowled well. However, we need to improve in the powerplay as a bowling unit and also as a batting unit," he added.

After losing the first T20I by nine wickets on Sunday, Pakistan struggled again in the second encounter, failing to defend 135 runs after being put in to bat in a rain-affected match reduced to 15 overs per side.

Bangladesh tour

The Bangladesh cricket team is set to tour Pakistan in May for a white-ball series, which will feature three T20Is and three ODIs.

This will be Bangladesh's second visit to Pakistan in as many years. Their previous tour saw them clinch a 2-0 victory in a two-match Test series.

The upcoming series will take place after the conclusion of the 10th edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), which is scheduled from April 11 to May 18.

Originally part of the Future Tours Programme (FTP), the series was postponed due to scheduling conflicts. However, after recent discussions—held during Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) Chairman Farooq Ahmed's visit to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy—the boards have now finalized the series for May.

According to reports from Dhaka, the white-ball series is likely to be played in Faisalabad, Multan, and Lahore.