New Zealand wins the second ODI, series even 1-1
In the second ODI match, New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson won the chose and to bat. The New Zealand side lost an early wicket of opener Finn Allen (1) however the other opener Devon Conway and Kane Williamson managed to put some pressure on the Pakistani side by making 101 and 85 runs respectively.
The Pakistani bowlers however showed character and didn’t get bogged down. Naseem Shah who had gotten a five-wicket haul in the last ODI, got Pakistan the breakthrough it needed and broke the partnership that was staring to look lethal. Spinner Muhammad Nawaz also bowled quite well and got the wicket of Kane Williamson. His 4-38 in his 10 overs played a huge part in restricting a dangerous looking New Zealand side to 261 runs in the first innings of the match.
Naseem Shah snagged three wickets in the ODI which has now made him the highest wicket-taker in the first five ODI matches as he now has 19 wickets in his kitty.
The Pakistan batting however fell short and was unable to reach the target of 262 needed to win the match and the series. Pakistan team kept on losing wickets on regular intervals. The openers Fakhar Zaman (0) and Imam ul Haq (6) got out early and after which skipper Babar Azam and Wicketkeeper- Batsman Muhammad Rizwan managed to strike a partnership of 55 runs before Rizwan getting bowled by Mitchell Santner as well.
Pakistan lost the wickets of batsmen Haris Sohail (10), Agha Salman (25) and Muhammad Nawaz (3) cheaply. Even though skipper Babar Azam stuck around on the field till the 43rd over and scored 79 runs, no other batsman stuck around long enough to have a long partnership with him. This resulted in the entire team getting dismissed for 182 and levelling the series 1-1.
For New Zealand, pacer Tim Southee got 2-33 and spinner Ish Sodhi bagged 2-38.
The next ODI match which is the third and final one, will also be played in Karachi on Friday. 13th January.