The commentary is not available for this match. Please check the scorecard for latest updates.
That's all we have from the second game of this series. The caravan will move to Otago where these two teams will lock horns. New Zealand will be looking to seal the series while Pakistan will be looking to win that game to ensure they stay alive. This has been Lavil Saldanha alongside Rudransh. We hope you enjoyed our coverage and look to catch up with you all soon. SEE YA!
Tim Southee (New Zealand stand-in captain): It was a good surface, the way Finn Allen and the guys at the top set it up was pretty nice. Pakistan put up a fight nicely and the two innings were quite similar in a way. Milne was outstanding, Sears is a young guy and is showing a lot of character at this level. Sodhi shouldn't be over looked, he bowled well after going for 20 in his first over. He is fielding pretty well as well. At Eden Park, wickets kept flowing in both innings. The guys at the top did really well for us.
Shaheen Afridi (Pakistan captain): To be honest, first bowling is always a little bit [difficult]. Unfortunately, we didn't take wickets with the new ball with the swing and if we had, we would have kept them to 170-180.We struggled with the ball in the first overs but bowled well after that. Harris and Abbas were really good and Usama Mir bowled really well.
Finn Allen is the Player of the Match and here's what he has to say: It's a positive for me. The work I am doing to work through the gears, good to see it come off today. Daryl and I had a chat that 200 would be a good score. We were at a competitive score. He's calming figure, always knows what he's trying to do and we bounce off each other.
New Zealand win the match by 21 runs and lead the 5 match T20I series 2-0
Pakistan: 173 all out
Babar Azam: 66(43b) | Fakhar Zaman: 50(25b) Adam Milne: 4/33 (4 overs) | Ben Sears: 2/28 (4 overs)
"Pakistan Cricket at its finest! One moment down, the very next moment up!" Nasser Hussain said these words in the finals of the Champions Trophy 2017 and to this day, these words stand true whenever Pakistan play. They fell hard from 97/2 and ended up conceding the game. How? Only they can answer!
Their start wasn't the best as Saim Ayub lost his wicket in a bid to go big and so did Rizwan. New Zealand shelled a couple of catches, of Babar and Fakhar, and both the batters looked very solid out in the middle. They picked up boundaries as if they were fishing and ended the powerplay on a high. Fakhar got to a 50 in the blink of an eye and everything was looking hunky dory for them in this chase.
But then, Fakhar chopped back onto the stumps and the batting attack fell like nine pins. Azam Khan tried to up the ante only to be caught close to the boundary line. Babar got to his 50 and batted well until Sears came back and accounted for him the second time in this series. Shaheen gave everything he had in the tank only for his side to crumble at the finish line. Abbas Afridi tried, but in vain as Pakistan lost all their wickets and was dismissed for 173.
New Zealand had their fair share of spoils in the field but then they did well with the ball in hand to make a comeback of sorts. Adam Milne was a clear pick of the bowlers as he picked up 4 wickets in his spell. Tim Southee, Ben Sears and Ish Sodhi chipped in with a couple of wickets each. Santner had an off day, but he couldn't have done anything when Fakhar attacked him like a raging bull.
Lets now go down to hear what the captains have to say!
19.3 Tim Southee to Abbas Afridi, CAUGHT AND IT'S ALL OVER! NEW ZEALAND TAKE A 2-0 LEAD IN THE SERIES! Length ball on and around the off-stump, Afridi shuffles to scoop it off the pitch of it over fine leg and it lobs over to Sodhi inside the circle. He doesn't see it initially but manages to get both hands at it and holds on!
Abbas Afridi c Ish Sodhi b Tim Southee 7 (5b, 0x4, 1x6)
19.2 Tim Southee to Haris Rauf, short of length ball on the leg-stump, Rauf swings through the full and Sodhi chases it to the deep fine leg boundary. And guess what, the batters don't bother to come back for the second!
Quite a predicament for the third umpire here. The replays are showing that it could have bumped and gone and upon zooming, the initial replays turn out to be true. Not out
19.1 Tim Southee to Haris Rauf, EDGED AND TAKEN! Has it carried? Good length ball outside the off-stump. Rauf looks for the cut but gets a leading top edge that falls to Conway who goes down to take it. Umpires want to have a check.
Conway has picked it on the full but it looks like it has landed in the gloves. The third umpire thinks it has hit the ground though and he says it's NOT OUT!
Tim Southee (3-0-30-1) comes back into the attack and will be bowling to Haris Rauf on strike
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Seddon Park, Hamilton
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