NZ vs PAK 2024/25, NZ vs PAK 2nd T20I Match Report, March 18, 2025

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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.

Jacob Duffy, Ben Sears and Ish Sodhi pinned Pakistan early to cripple their batting effort, forcing the visitors to make only 135 in the 15-overs-a-side contest, after which openers Tim Seifert (45 off 22 balls) and Finn Allen (38 from 16) killed the chase off early, adding 66 in just 28 deliveries.
Salman Agha’s 46, and economical spells from Khushdil Shah and Haris Rauf, were the positives from the Pakistan camp. But, overall, they were outplayed by the hosts, although the gulf between the two sides was lesser than in the first T20I. The teams now move to Auckland, with the visitors one defeat away from losing the 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.

Agha’s 28-ball 46 threatened New Zealand in the middle overs, but when he fell in the tenth over to Sears in his second spell, Pakistan lost steam. However, Shadab Khan’s 14-ball 26, and Shaheen Shah Afridi’s 14-ball 22, added some late impetus to lift the visitors to 135 for 9 in 15 overs. James Neesham, playing his first T20I in nine months, finished with 2 for 26, both wickets coming in the 13th over.

“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.”

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