New Zealand defeated Pakistan by five wickets on Tuesday to take a 2-0 lead in the five-match T20 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.
The match saw a dominant start from New Zealand’s openers, Tim Seifert and Finn Allen, who launched a six-hitting blitz. Seven of the first eight scoring shots were sixes. Seifert initially played a maiden over off Shaheen Shah Afridi before Allen smashed three sixes in the second over, bowled by Mohammad Ali. Seifert then hit 26 off Afridi’s second over, including four sixes. He top-scored with 45 off 22 balls, following up on his 44-run effort in the first T20. Allen added 38 off 16, with both openers hitting five sixes each.
New Zealand lost four wickets in four overs in the middle of the chase, but Mitch Hay’s unbeaten 21 ensured a comfortable victory. Earlier, Pakistan struggled at 19-2 in the fourth over after being sent in to bat. Captain Salman Agha led the recovery with 46 off 28 balls, hitting four fours and three sixes. Shadab Khan contributed 26 off 14, while Afridi remained not out on 22 off 14.
Four New Zealand bowlers, including Ben Sears and Jimmy Neesham, took two wickets each. Sears and Neesham replaced Tim Robinson and Kyle Jamieson in the playing XI. Pakistan made one change, bringing in Haris Rauf for leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed. The match was delayed for 90 minutes due to rain at University Oval. New Zealand will look to seal the series with a win in the third T20 in Auckland on Friday.
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