New Zealand 137 for 5 (Seifert 45, Allen 38, Rauf 2-20) beat Pakistan 135 for 9 (Agha 46, Sodhi 2-17, Duffy 2-20, Sears 2-23) by five wickets

New Zealand’s powerful powerplay performances with both ball and bat comfortably dispatched Pakistan in the second T20I in Dunedin to give the hosts a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.

Sodhi compliments NZ’s new-ball effort

After New Zealand stand-in captain Michael Bracewell opted to bowl, Duffy’s rising delivery had opener Hasan Nawaz miscuing a shot to backward point in the first over itself. Sears then dismissed an aggressive Mohammad Haris for 11 when he slashed the bowler to deep third.

Agha, Pakistan’s captain, then counterattacked to give the visitors’ innings some impetus, but Bracewell’s introduction of Sodhi crippled them. Irfan Khan’s leading edge off Sodhi saw him holing out at backward point, and two balls later, Khushdil was walking back after being trapped in front of the stumps by the wristspinner.

“The guys bowling into the wind bowled particularly well,” Bracewell said after the game. “I think when the wicket’s been under covers for a day or so and offering extra bounce, our bowlers used the surface well. We were pretty happy with the score at half-time.”

Allen, Seifert bash Pakistan around

Playing in Dunedin for the first time since his record-breaking innings of 16 sixes against Pakistan in January 2024, Allen kickstarted the chase by launching three sixes off Mohammad Ali’s back-of-a-length deliveries in the second over. Seifert went one better in the third, smashing Afridi for four sixes in the arc between extra cover and deep square leg. With seven sixes in the first three overs – the second-most in that phase of any T20I (where ball-by-ball data is available) – the openers looked in a hurry to finish the game.

Seifert fell in the fifth over even as he looked set for a rapid half-century, as he miscued Ali’s slower ball to mid-on. But his 22-ball 45 had made the chase elementary. Allen then smashed left-arm seamer Jahandad Khan for consecutive sixes in the seventh over before falling lbw next ball. His 16-ball 38 left New Zealand at 88 for 2 in seven overs, needing just another 48 from as many balls.

“After the first over [maiden], thought it was a tricky chase, but then Finn and I combined well,” Seifert, the Player of the Match, who returned to the T20I squad ahead of this series, said after the game. “As a Kiwi, playing for the nation is great, and it’s fun to be back with the boys. You’re playing with the world’s best players, and it helps you to know your game. As a player, you’re definitely learning and getting better.”

The start allowed New Zealand’s middle order to take their time, although Mark Chapman and Neesham fell for single-digit scores. Haris Rauf, playing instead of spinner Abrar Ahmed, picked off Daryll Mitchell and Neesham in quick succession, but Mitchell Hay’s unbeaten 16-ball 21, and Bracewell’s winning boundary, took the hosts home with 11 balls to spare.

“The ground was small, and we wanted to attack their bowlers from one end with the wind,” Bracewell said about the batting performance. “But the openers went big from both ends [smiles]. We’re pretty happy with where things are at overall.”

Pakistan captain Agha said their own powerplay performances were a let-down.

“It was a better game than last game – lot of positives – but few things more to do,” Agha told the broadcasters. “We batted better but we need to finish our batting better. Bowling was decent but we need to be more consistent. We need to understand and adjust to the bounce. After the powerplay, we bowled well. We bowled well in patches, [but[ at the same time, we need to be more consistent in powerplay bowling.”