New Zealand’s openers went on a six-hitting blitz on Tuesday to thrash Pakistan by five wickets and go 2-0 up in the five-match Twenty20 series.
The home side reached 137 for five with 11 balls to spare in Dunedin to take control of the five-match series after Pakistan posted 135 for nine off 15 overs in a rain-reduced second match.
New Zealand’s highlight was a ferocious opening stand between Tim Seifert and Finn Allen in which seven of the first eight scoring shots were sixes.
Remarkably, Seifert played out a maiden off Shaheen Shah Afridi’s opening over before Allen cleared the small University Oval boundary three times in the second over, bowled by Mohammad Ali.
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Seifert then smashed 26 off Afridi’s second over, including four sixes. He top-scored with 44 in the nine-wicket win in Christchurch on Sunday, but departed on 45 off 22 balls in the second game while Allen fell soon afterwards for 38 off 16.
Four New Zealand wickets fell in the space of four overs midway through the chase before Mitch Hay’s unbeaten 21 made the outcome safe.
Earlier, captain Salman Agha top-scored with 46 off 28 balls, launching a recovery after Pakistan were sent in and lost opener Hasan Nawaz without scoring for the second time in the series.
It was 19 for two in the fourth over before the skipper embarked on a knock that featured four fours and three sixes. Shadab Khan was aggressive in the middle order with 26 off 14 balls and Afridi was not-out 22 off 14.
Four New Zealand bowlers took two wickets, including seamer Ben Sears and all-rounder Jimmy Neesham, who were both recalled, in place of Tim Robinson and Kyle Jamieson.
New Zealand can wrap up the series if victorious in game three in Auckland on Friday.