New Zealand set a competitive 195-run target for Pakistan in the second T20I which is being played at Seddon Park, Hamilton on Sunday.

Finn Allen was the home side’s best performer with the bat as the 24-year-old thrashed the Pakistani bowlers to all parts of the ground. The right-hander played a rapid innings of 74 runs on just 41 balls, courtesy of seven fours and five sixes.

Thanks to Allen’s brilliant start, the home side looked all set to score a big total but things started to fall apart as soon as he was removed by Usama Mir’s googly in the 13th over.

The home side was 137-2 in 13 overs when Allen walked back to the pavilion, but after his departure, they only managed to score 57 runs in the remaining seven overs.

Pakistani bowlers made an excellent comeback in the match and managed to restrict the in-form Kiwis to 194 runs, a total they can chase down.

Haris Rauf took three wickets in the 19th over and became Pakistan’s top wicket-taker of the match. All of the visitors’ bowlers, except skipper Shaheen Afridi, picked up wickets.

Earlier, Shaheen Afridi won the toss and opted to bowl first.

The Green Shirts named an unchanged playing XI from the first match which they lost by 46 runs. On the other hand, the Black Caps replaced Matt Henry with Mitchell Santner, who was ruled out of the first T20I with a last-minute injury.

Playing XIs

Pakistan: Mohammad Rizwan, Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Azam Khan (wk), Aamer Jamal, Usama Mir, Shaheen Afridi (c), Abbas Afridi, Haris Rauf

New Zealand: Finn Allen, Devon Conway (wk), Kane Williamson (c), Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner, Adam Milne, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Ben Sears

Schedule of remaining matches
2nd T20 – 14 January 2024 at Seddon Park, Hamilton

3rd T20 – 17 January 2024 at University Oval, Dunedin

4th T20 – 19 January 2024 at Hagley Oval, Christchurch

5th T20 – 21 January 2024 at Hagley Oval, Christchurch