New Zealand vs Pakistan Match Preview, 2nd ODI

New Zealand (NZ) and Pakistan (PAK) will take on each other in the second ODI of the 3-match series. The match will take place at the Seddon Park, Hamilton, on April 2, 2025, at 3:30 AM (IST). New Zealand has an upper hand in the series at this point, as they beat Pakistan in the first ODI by a huge margin of 73 runs. The visiting side would be kicking themselves for losing the way they did.

Bowling first, PAK bowlers put pressure on the NZ batters by reducing them to 50/3 in the 13th over. They were both economical and took wickets in the first 15 overs of the match. What followed was a nightmare, as PAK bowlers could not dismiss the duo of Mark Chapman and Daryl Mitchell. Muhammad Abbas joined the party and helped NZ to score 344/9. 

Also Read: NZ vs PAK 2025: New Zealand announce squad for three ODIs, Kane Williamson unavailable

PAK batters started aggressively, quite the opposite of the Kiwi batters. They were helped by some poor bowling, as the bowlers conceded a lot of extras. However, Pakistan lost wickets consistently and conceded the match by 73 runs. In the second ODI, they will get a chance to go 1-1 and let the third ODI be the decider. For that to happen, Pakistan must bring its A game.

Pitch Report

The 2nd ODI between NZ and PAK will take place at the Seddon Park, Hamilton. The surface is usually good for batting and has not changed a lot over the years. Pacers get a bit of extra bounce from the surface and early swing. But skillful batters will be able to counter it and help their team to post a good total.

Spinners might get some grip from the surface. The key for the batters would be to make the most of the Powerplay overs and rotate strike in the middle overs. The bowlers must try to claim wickets to put pressure on the batters. Toss might not be a factor, as the surface plays well even with the progression of the match.

Also Check: NZ vs PAK 2025: Tom Latham ruled out of ODIs with fractured hand

Head-to-Head Record

New Zealand and Pakistan have a rich history of facing each other in ODIs. Their first-ever ODI match took place in 1973, which was won by NZ by 22 runs. The two teams have faced each other in 120 matches, with NZ claiming 55 wins and PAK winning 61 of them. While one of their matches ended in a thrilling tie, 3 matches had no result.

Predicted Playing XIs

New Zealand - Will Young, Nick Kelly, Rhys Mariu, Henry Nicholls, Daryl Mitchell, Muhammad Abbas, Michael Bracewell (C), Mitchell Hay (WK), Nathan Smith, Jacob Duffy, Will O'Rourke.

Pakistan - Abdullah Shafique, Usman Khan, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan (C & WK), Agha Salman Ali, Tayyab Tahir, Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Akif Javed, Mohammad Ali.