Fakhar Zaman, Pakistan opener, was awarded Player of the Match for his striking knock.
The touring Pakistan team managed to level the T20 series winning the second match against New Zealand. Pakistan scored 201 runs for 4 wickets with blitzing strikes from the top order batsmen. In reply, New Zealand chased the score to 153 runs, failing against bowling attacks of Pakistan. This recent victory came up against a backdrop of 14 defeats from the opponents across all formats. The match featured intensive strikes from Fakhar Zaman and Ahmed Shehzad. Both of these batsmen were absent in the first match. Also, Babar Azam and Sarfraz Ahmed top scored with 50 and 41 runs respectively.
Pakistan opened the inning with hefty strikes from opener Zaman and Shehzad. The pair brought 94 runs before the completion of 10th over. Both went back from the crease in a gap of three balls. Zaman plundered 6 sixes and 5 fours for his 50 off 28 balls. Shehzad scored 44 off 34 balls hammering 6 fours and a six. It was the highest opening partnership stretch of the tour. It was followed by another partnership stretch between Babar Azam and Sarfraz Ahmed. In the next eight overs, the players added 91 runs with playing with high strike rate. Azam hammered a six and 5 fours, while Ahmed thumped 2 fours and 3 sixes.
The batsmen did not allow the momentum to slack throughout 20 overs, playing at excellent gaps. Each of New Zealand bowlers including Trent Boult and Ish Sodhi remained useless surrendering to Pakistan bowlers. New Zealand wanted to start in a similar fashion as Pakistan, but the team began losing wickets right from the third over. Before 10 overs in 8.2, with the wicket of Colin de Grandhomme, the chase wobbled at 64 for 6. Beginning with Colin Munro, Pakistan bowlers removed a wicket in almost every over.
The only partnership in the chase was between Mitchell Santner and Ben Wheeler pulling it to 118 runs batting for 6 overs together. Kane Williamson ducked out at the delivery off Mohammed Amir. Faheem Ashraf picked 3 wickets, while Amir and Shadab Khan had two each. Rumman Raees and Hasan Ali taking a single wicket each completed the list of bowlers taking at least a wicket in the match.