NZ v Pak 2nd T20I Review: New Zealand subjugate Pakistan with a 10 wicket victory

New Zealand stormed to a spectacular 10-wicket win in the second T20I against Pakistan at the Seddon Park, Hamilton. Openers Martin Guptill and Kane Williamson butchered the Pakistan bowlers and mowed down the target of 169 set by them without breaking any sweat. This commanding victory clearly indicates that the loss in the opening game did not go down well with the Kiwis.

Right from start till the end, Guptill and Williamson bossed the Pakistan bowlers. The Kiwi openers were at their aggressive best, scoring at a run rate of nearly 10 an over through most part of the chase. Both the batsmen reached their respective half-centuries in their 13th over just after completing a 100-run stand between them. The duo continued in the same fashion and finished off the chase in 17.4 overs. Guptill finished with more runs among the two with 87 runs off just 58 balls. Williamson ended with 72 runs off 48 balls. This match winning partnership was also the highest partnership for any wicket in T20Is.

Earlier, Pakistan won the toss and opted to bat first. Ahmed Shehzad continued his poor run in the T20Is after he was sent back to the dugout in the 4th over by Corey Anderson. Shehzad was unable to connect a cross batted shot and hit the ball straight to Kane Williamson at mid-off. The start was sluggish on a good batting track as the first six overs yielded only 34 runs for the Men in Green.

Mohammad Hafeez was also dismissed shortly by Santner. Incidentally, Hafeez had opened his account today with a second ball six off the same bowler. After the stuttering initially, Sohaib Maqsood and Shoaib Malik provided some stability. However, this partnership also could not sustain for a long time after Maqsood fell victim to Grant Elliot in the 12th over.

However, Umar Akmal did not disappoint like the top order did put together an instrumental partnership of 63 runs with Malik to take Pakistan to a comfortable stage. However, Malik lost his wicket at a crucial moment in the 16th over. Pakistan lower order provided the last push to the scoreboard with some quick valuable runs.

Brief Scores:

Pakistan: 168/7 in 20 overs (U Akmal 56; McClenaghan 2/23)

New Zealand: 171/0 in 17.4 overs (Guptill 87*)

Man of the Match: Martin Guptill (New Zealand)

How did Twitter react to New Zealand’s thumping win? – Twitter Reactions: New Zealand thrash Pakistan by 10 wickets in the 2nd T20I