New Zealand Triumphs Over Pakistan by 84 Runs

The second ODI between Pakistan and New Zealand was held at Seddon Park, Hamilton. Pakistan won the toss but opted to bowl, putting New Zealand to bat first.

The Kiwis set a target of 292 runs in their allocated 50 overs, losing 8 wickets. Pakistan fell short, scoring only 208 runs in 41.2 overs. Rhys Mariu opened the batting for New Zealand and scored 18 runs off 25 balls. He later formed a partnership with Nick Kelly before being dismissed, which amounted to 54 runs from 38 deliveries. Wicket keeper Mitchell Hay was named Man of the match after scoring 99 runs off 78 balls, hitting 7 fours,7 sixes at a strike rate of 126.92.

Pakistan’s bowlers restricted New Zealand’s low-order batters-Nathan Smith, Ben Sears and Jacob Duffy to scores of 8/16 and 6/14, while Duffy remained not out without scoring any runs. William ORourke was placed at number 11 in the batting order. Being the last batsman, he didn’t get an opportunity to bat because the innings had already concluded.

The best bowler for Pakistan was Sufiyan Muqeem, who picked up 2 wickets for 33 runs in 10 overs, including a maiden over. Mohammad Wasim also took 2 wickets for 78 runs in his 10 overs. Other bowlers-Faheem Ashraf, Akif Javed and Haris Rauf picked one wicket each.

Pakistan’s innings began poorly, with the top-order batsmen suffering a collapse. By the time the score was at 9, Pakistan had already lost three wickets. Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq and Babar Azam were restricted to scores of 1/11,3/12 and 1/3 respectively. Faheen Ashraf played a crucial role, scoring 73 runs from 80 deliveries, including 6 fours and 3 sixes, to stabilize the innings. Naseem Shah also scored a half- century, his first in ODIs.

Ben Sears led the bowling attack, picking up 5 wickets for 59 runs. Jacob Duffy took 3/35 in 8 overs, including a maiden over. William ORourke and Nathan Smith picked one wicket each.

The third and final ODI will be held on Saturday 5^th April 2025.