'We played some entertaining cricket' - Michael Bracewell after New Zealand go 2-0 up in T20I series against Pakistan

New Zealand continued their brilliant run in the ongoing T20I series against Pakistan, registering a clinical five-wicket victory in the second match at Dunedin on Tuesday. The hosts now have a 2-0 lead in the five-match series and will look to continue their lead in the games to come. Following the match, New Zealand’s captain Michael Bracewell expressed satisfaction with the team’s efforts, mentioning that they had played an entertaining brand of cricket.

After winning the toss and electing to field first, the host bowlers once again toppled the Pakistani batters as they restricted them to 135/9 in a rain-affected 15-over contest. Jacob Duffy, Ben Sears, James Neesham, and Ish Sodhi picked two wickets each. Salman Agha’s knock of 46 off 28 balls provided some hope, but the Men in Green struggled to build a strong innings. Speaking about the team’s bowling effort, Bracewell praised his bowlers for adapting to the challenging conditions. 

"Very good bowling performance. We bowled well into the wind. The wicket has been under cover. There was extra bounce on it. The death bowlers bowled really well. We were happy at the half time. It was tough bowling into the wind. Tried to hit it into the wind. We have been playing some good cricket. The guys are hitting the ball well. The bowlers are hitting the right lines. It was pretty cold but hopefully we played some entertaining cricket," he said at the post-match presentation. 

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We need to be better in the powerplay: Salman Agha

Chasing 136, New Zealand’s opening duo of Tim Seifert (45 off 22 balls) and Finn Allen (38 off 16 balls) provided a solid start. Allen was aggressive from the second over, hammering three sixes off Mohammad Ali, while Seifert followed suit later hitting four sixes in a single over off Shaheen Afridi. The pair added 66 runs in just 29 balls. Though Pakistan came back with a few quick wickets, Daryl Mitchell and Mitchell Hay ensured there were no uses later, guiding the team to victory with 11 balls to spare.

Pakistan’s performance showed some improvement compared to the first T20I, but they were still outplayed by the Kiwis. Skipper Agha admitted that the powerplay woes with both bat and ball continued to hurt them. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s bowlers found it difficult to contain New Zealand’s aggressive top order.

"It was freezing. It was a good game compared to the last game. We batted batter. Fielding was outstanding. Bowling in patches was good. The bounce we need to understand is different. After the powerplay, we bowled well. Haris bowled well. We need to be better in the powerplay. As a batting unit, we need to have better powerplay. And same as a bowling unit as well," he said.