The Pakistan team experienced an 84-run defeat at Seddon Park Hamilton against New Zealand during their second ODI match on Wednesday April 2. The opening batting performance produced 292 runs before Pakistan’s demise at 8 wickets while Mitchell Hay batted till the end of the innings for 99 runs without getting out. Pakistan faced difficulty in accumulating runs during their knock which ended when their team was all out for 208 runs after 41.2 overs. During the second ODI against Pakistan Ben Sears delivered a magnificent five-wicket performance to clinch the New Zealand series victory a match before the end.
New Zealand Pacers Dominate As Pakistan’s Top Batting Order Crumbles
Pakistani’s batting line up suffered an unfortunate start because of New Zealand pacers who struck early with fresh balls. Shafique Abdullah faced his first delivery and O’Rourke caught him at first slip followed by Babar Azam getting out as Duffy (3-35) struck him at second slip. The Kiwi seamers applied overwhelming pressure that forced out three senior Pakistani batsmen including Imam-ul-Haq for 3 runs and resulting in 32/5 dismissals in 11.4 overs. The New Zealand team took control of the second ODI match after Pakistan batters Faheem Ashraf (73 from 80 balls) and Naseem Shah (51 from 44 balls) scored runs but their team only managed 208 in 41.2 overs.
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Mitchell Hay’s Heroics Lead New Zealand To Commanding Total
During the first innings New Zealand created a responsive 292/8 total after Nick Kelly (31) and Rhys Mariu (18) produced 54 runs together at the start. Pakistan attempted to end the partnerships by reducing the hosts to 132/5 but Mitchell Hay delivered an outstanding performance to carry forward the innings. Together with Muhammad Abbas (41) Hay created an essential 77-run partnership which led him to score an undefeated 99 from 78 balls. The cool execution of his batting at the finish helped New Zealand secure victory while securing the Player of the Match trophy. Pakistan must prevent New Zealand from finishing an unblemished victory after Pakistan suffered losses in the ODI series during the final match on April 5.
