2nd T20I: Can Pakistan bounce back against New Zealand?
What's the story
Pakistan will take on hosts New Zealand in the second T20I of their five-match series on March 18, 2025. The Blackcaps thrashed Pakistan in the first match at Hagley Oval, Christchurch. After being asked to bat first, Pakistan suffered constant blows and were bundled out for just 91. The Kiwis comfortably chased down the total. Here we present the preview of the second game.
Match details
Match details and broadcast information
The second T20I between New Zealand and Pakistan will be played on March 18, 2025, at the University Oval in Dunedin. The pitch here usually assists both batters and bowlers. Teams batting first have won five of the seven T20Is here. Fans can catch all the action live on Sony Sports Network or stream it online via Sony LIV and Fancode apps/websites. The match will start at 6:45am IST.
Match recap
Recap of the opening game
New Zealand defeated Pakistan by nine wickets in the opener The match was highlighted by a brilliant spell from Kyle Jamieson, who picked three wickets in the powerplay. Jacob Duffy was also impressive with the ball, managing 4/14. The score proved insufficient for victory as New Zealand chased it down comfortably in just 10.1 overs with nine wickets remaining. Tim Seifert was the architect of this victory, scoring 44 runs off 29 balls.
H2H
A look at the head-to-head record
As per ESPNcricinfo, Pakistan still have an edge over NZ in T20Is as they own 23 victories and 20 defeats (NR: 2). However, on New Zealand soil, the Kiwis have 13 wins and eight defeats against the team. Pakistan's preceding T20I assignment in the nation was a five-match series last year. The Men in Green lost the first four games before avoiding a whitewash. Pakistan hence have lost five of their last six T20Is in New Zealand.
XIs
Here are the Probable XIs
New Zealand (Probable XI): Tim Seifert, Finn Allen, Tim Robinson, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Hay (wk), Michael Bracewell (c), Zakary Foulkes, Kyle Jamieson, Ish Sodhi, Jacob Duffy. Pakistan (Probable XI): Mohammad Haris (wk), Hasan Nawaz, Salman Agha (c), Irfan Khan, Shadab Khan, Abdul Samad, Khushdil Shah, Jahandad Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed.
Stats
Here are the key performers
The series opener saw Jamieson finish with career-best figures worth 3/8 across four overs. He delivered the most economical four-over spell in NZ-PAK T20Is. Two of Duffy's three T20I four-fers have come against Pakistan. Finn Allen has an average and strike rate of 43.88 and 182.02, respectively, vs Pakistan (T20Is). Khushdil Shah top-scored for Pakistan in the opener, managing 32 runs off 30 balls. Shaheen Afridi owns 33 T20I scalps vs NZ at 19.06.
Poll
