In the second T20I held at the Pindi Cricket Stadium on Saturday, Pakistan’s cautious and skillful spin bowling performance led to New Zealand’s team being dismissed for only 90 runs in 18.1 overs.
As a result, the Pakistani team now faces the challenge of chasing a 91-run target within the allotted overs.
Initially, the Black Caps struggled against the powerful Pakistani pace attack, which significantly impacted their performance. In the third over, Shaheen Afridi, renowned for his new-ball prowess, delivered an outstanding performance by dismissing Tim Seifert for a mere 12 runs.
Following Shaheen’s impressive display, Mohammad Amir, who was playing his first match for Pakistan in nearly four years, joined the action and also made an immediate impact, taking out Tim Robinson for just four runs in his first over.
Amir persistently disrupted the opposition’s batting order, claiming Dean Foxcroft’s wicket in his second over, skillfully caught by captain Babar Azam. Despite this, New Zealand’s batsmen held onto their wickets for the subsequent two overs.
However, Abrar Ahmed delivered a decisive blow in the ninth over, dismissing Mark Chapman and James Neesham, who scored 19 and one run each, respectively, forcing them to return to the pavilion.
The latter part of the damage was inflicted by Shadab Khan and Naseem Shah. Only four New Zealand batsmen achieved double-digit scores, as Pakistan took control with their bowling performance. Afridi claimed three wickets, while Amir, Abrar, and Shadab secured two each.
Unfortunately, Naseem could only obtain one. Earlier in the day, Pakistan chose to bowl first after winning the toss.
Playing XIs
In Pakistan’s team, we have the captain Babar Azam, alongside Saim Ayub, Mohammad Rizwan, Usman Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Amir, and Abrar Ahmed.
On the New Zealand side, we have Michael Bracewell as the captain, with Mark Chapman, Jacob Duffy, Dean Foxcroft, Ben Lister, Cole McConchie, James Neesham, Tim Robinson, Ben Sears, Tim Seifert as the wicketkeeper, and Ish Sodhi as part of their squad.
