Pakistan tour of New Zealand 2020-21, 3-match T20I series, Second T20I, New Zealand vs Pakistan – New Zealand won by 9 wickets
Sunday, Dec 20, 2020, Seddon Park, Hamilton
New Zealand had won the first T20I of the series on Friday (Dec 18) by a margin of 5 wickets and are leading the 3-match series by 1-0. Kane Williamson and the pace duo – Tim Southee and Trent Boult – were rested from the first fixture and had returned for this second match. Pakistan who were already without their in-form batsman Babar Azam needed some motivation from their batting unit in this game.
Having opted to bat first, Pakistan almost took the same route as in the first T20I, losing wickets at regular intervals. They lost first four wickets for just 56 runs on the board. However, veteran Mohammad Hafeez who walked in at No. 4 rose up to the occasion in this game guiding them a respectable total – 163/6 in 20 overs. In the process, Hafeez was left stranded on 99* (off 57 deliveries) which included 10 fours and 5 sixes.
Tim Southee was the pick of Kiwis bowlers as he bagged 4 wickets in his 4 overs conceding just 21 runs. Picked up wickets and was economical too; what more a captain wants from his players! Moreover, these are his second best bowling figures in T20Is. Besides Southee, James Neesham and Ish Sodhi bagged a wicket each.
During the chase, home team only needed their top 3 batsmen to chase down this total! Opener Martin Guptill (21 off 11) was the only wicket to fall in this innings. Pakistan all-rounder Faheem Ashraf bagged this wicket. The other opener Tim Siefert (84* off 63) along with captain Kane Williamson (57* off 42) shared an unbeaten 129*-run partnership which carried New Zealand home with 9 wickets in hand.
The unbeaten 129*-run stand between Siefert and Williamson for the second wicket is also the best 2nd wicket stand for NZ in this format of the game. Previous best was 113-run stand by Brendon McCullum and Hamish Rutherford. New Zealand pacer Tim Southee bagged the ‘Player of the Match’ for his 4-wicket haul.
With this 9-wicket vicotry, New Zealand have taken an unassailable lead of 2-0 in this 3-match series. The third and final T20I of the series will be played at the McLean Park in Napier.
Brief Scores: New Zealand – 164/1 in 19.2 overs (Tim Siefert – 84*, Kane Williamson – 57*, Faheem Ashraf – 1/19) defeated Pakistan – 163/6 in 20 overs (Mohammad Hafeez – 99*, Mohammad Rizwan – 22, Tim Southee – 4/21, James Neesham – 1/10) by a margin of 9 wickets
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