New Zealand completed another dominant victory against Pakistan in the second T20I of the 5-match series on Tuesday, beating the tourists by 6 wickets in a rain-marred contest. Batting first, Pakistan put a decent total of 135/9 on the board, in a 15-over-per-side contest but New Zealand chased it down with ease. Much like the first T20I, Pakistan bowlers failed to step up to the challenge against the Kiwis. Even the travelling side's marquee pacer, Shaheen Afridi, was torn apart by the hosts' batters.
Shahen conceded 31 runs in three overs against New Zealand, with 24 of those runs coming in a single over. New Zealand wicket-keeper batter Tim Seifert unleashed mayhem against Shaheen, smashing him for 4 sixes, including a 119-meter maximum at the University Oval in Dunedin.
In comparison to Pakistan's performance in the first T20I, the second match showed the visitors producing a much better show. Pakistan captain Salman Agha admitted that same in the post-match presentation ceremony.
Trailing 0-2 in the 5-match series, Pakistan can't afford to lose another match in the series. The skipper has asked his top-order to produce a better show in powerplays if they are to return to winning ways.
“It was freezing. It was a good game compared to the last game. We batted batter. Fielding was outstanding. Bowling in patches was good. The bounce we need to understand is different. After powerplay, we bowled well. Haris bowled well. We need to be better in the powerplay. As a batting unit, we need to have better powerplay. And same as a bowling unit as well,” he said.