PAK vs NZ, 2nd T20I: Pakistan trounces depleted New Zealand by seven wickets

After dismissing New Zealand's Tim Seifert, Pakistan's Shaheen Shah Afridi celebrated with great joy during the second T20 international cricket match between Pakistan and New Zealand. The photo credit goes to AP.

Shaheen Shah Afridi, a Pakistani cricket player, was seen rejoicing after ending the progress of Tim Seifert, a member of New Zealand's cricket team, in the second T20 international cricket game between the two teams. A picture taken by the Associated Press captures the moment of celebration by Afridi.

Shaheen Shah Afridi and Mohammad Amir, two left-handed bowlers, took five wickets together, which greatly affected New Zealand's score, which was only 90 runs. Later, Mohammad Rizwan took control of the chase, leading Pakistan to victory in the second Twenty20 match held on Saturday in Rawalpindi.

Shaheen was the main attacker, making 3-13, while Amir, who hadn't played for the international team for almost four years, ended up with a score of 2-13. The opposing team was asked to bat first but were unable to last past 18.1 overs and were ultimately dismissed.

Rizwan completed the match with an unbeaten score of 45 runs off 34 balls. This was achieved with the help of one big hit over the boundary for six runs and four hits that crossed the boundary for four runs each. His strong performance resulted in Pakistan successfully reaching the target with a comfortable margin in just 12.1 overs. Therefore, Pakistan now has a 1-0 lead in the series which consists of five matches.

The initial game, which was also held in Rawalpindi, got cancelled due to rainfall after only two ball deliveries on Thursday.

New Zealand attempted to make a comeback by taking the wickets of Saim Ayub (four), Babar Azam (14), and first timer Usman Khan (seven). However, Muhammad Irfan Khan (18 runs off 18 balls) teamed up with Rizwan and the duo scored 36 runs to secure their win.

Ayub started the game strong by hitting the ball past the boundary on the first pitch. However, his good fortune was short-lived as he was quickly caught out by Ben Lister, one of the opposing team's fast bowlers, on the very next pitch. Unfortunately, Azam also got out by being 'stumped' (a type of dismissal where the wicket keeper catches the ball and breaks the wicket with the ball in hand) by Michael Bracewell, the opposing team's leader. Usman suffered a similar fate and was bowled out by Ish Sodhi, one of the opposing team's spin bowlers.

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Amir made his comeback to international cricket after almost four years and gave a surprise shock to New Zealand in the initial overs of the match.

In 2020, Amir suddenly retired from professional cricket after being removed from the team. This was the second time he had to take a break from his career, with the first being a five-year ban due to a scandal regarding spot-fixing in 2010.

The pressure on New Zealand increased greatly when spinners Abrar Ahmed and Shadab Khan took two wickets each, resulting in their second lowest total against Pakistan in the shortest format of the game.

Mark Chapman (19), Cole McConchie (15), Dean Foxcroft (13), and Tim Seifert (13) were the sole four batters to accumulate scores of ten or more runs.

Chapman struck three fours during his 16-ball innings.

The smallest score that New Zealand has ever achieved in a T20I match against Pakistan was 80, which happened during a game in Christchurch back in 2010.

Naseem Shah, a speedy bowler, participated in his first game after hurting his shoulder in September of last year. He was able to take one wicket for 27 runs in four overs.

Both squads are gearing up for the Twenty20 World Cup, which is set to take place in June across the United States and the West Indies.

A lot of the best players from New Zealand are absent from their team because they're participating in the current Indian Premier League, or because they're simply not available or have gotten injured.

The remaining games will take place in Rawalpindi on Sunday and the last couple of matches will be held in Lahore on April 25th and 27th.