With Tuesday’s six-hitting assault, the men’s openers from New Zealand thrashed Pakistan by five wickets, taking a 2-0 lead in their Twenty20 series.
After Pakistan scored 135-9 from 15 overs in the second match, which was postponed due to rain, the home team hit 137-5 with 11 balls to spare in Dunedin, clinching control of the five-match series.
The opening partnership between Tim Seifert and Finn Allen was the high point of New Zealand’s performance; seven of the eight runs scored were sixes.
Allen three times cleared the short University Oval boundary in the second over thrown by Mohammad Ali, after Seifert played out a maiden off the opening ball bowled by Shaheen Shah Afridi.
Then, in Afridi’s second over, Seifert hit 26 runs, four of which were sixes.
With 45 runs off 22 balls, Seifert left the field, having top-scored with 44 in Sunday’s nine-wicket victory in Christchurch.
The openers smashed five sixes apiece, and Allen was out for 38 runs off 16 balls shortly after.
Mitch Hay sealed the victory with an unbeaten 21 after four New Zealand wickets fell in four overs during the middle of the chase.
Following Pakistan’s second consecutive series loss of opener Hasan Nawaz without a run, captain Salman Agha spearheaded a comeback with a top-scoring 46 off 28 balls.
Before the captain began his knock that included four fours and three sixes, they were 19-2 in the fourth over.
With 26 runs off of fourteen balls, Shadab Khan was an aggressive middle-order batsman, while Afridi was not out after twenty-two balls.
Then, in Afridi’s second over, Seifert hit 26 runs, four of which were sixes.
With 45 runs off 22 balls, Seifert left the field, having top-scored with 44 in Sunday’s nine-wicket victory in Christchurch.
The openers smashed five sixes apiece, and Allen was out for 38 runs off 16 balls shortly after.
Mitch Hay sealed the victory with an unbeaten 21 after four New Zealand wickets fell in four overs during the middle of the chase.
Captain Salman Agha spearheaded a comeback with a top-scoring 46 off 28 balls after opener Hasan Nawaz was dismissed without a run in Pakistan’s second consecutive series loss.
Before the captain began his knock that included four fours and three sixes, they were 19-2 in the fourth over.
With 26 runs off of fourteen balls, Shadab Khan was an aggressive middle-order batsman, while Afridi was not out after twenty-two balls.
