2nd T20I: Pakistan seek redemption against New Zealand in Hamilton
Pakistan will have redemption in mind as they take on New Zealand in the second T20I of the five-match series. The series opener was a high-scoring affair as Pakistan fought well while chasing 227. The hosts, however, won the duel by 46 runs. The likes of Daryl Mitchell, Kane Williamson, and Tim Southee starred for them. Here we present the match preview.
Venue, pitch report, and streaming details
The Seddon Park in Hamilton will host the second game on January 14 (11:40am IST). The pitch here usually assists both batters and bowlers. Teams batting first and chasing have won eight T20Is here apiece. 168 reads the average score while batting first. While the match won't be broadcast live in India, fans can stream it live on the Amazon Prime app.
A look at the head-to-head record
Pakistan have an edge over NZ in T20Is as they own 20 victories and 14 defeats (NR: 1). However, on New Zealand soil, the Kiwis have nine wins and seven defeats against the team. Pakistan's preceding T20I assignment in the nation was a tri-series in October 2022, also involving Bangladesh. The Men in Green defeated NZ in the final.
How did the series opener pan out?
Finn Allen's 35 off 15 balls gave NZ a flying start. Williamson and Mitchell smoked fifties thereafter as NZ posted 226/8. Shaheen Afridi and Abbas Afridi claimed three-fers. Pakistan started their chase well thanks to Saim Ayub (27 off 8). However, the visitors could not keep up to the required rate thereafter as they fell short despite Babar Azam's 57. Southee claimed four wickets.
Here are the Probable XIs
NZ (Probable XI): Finn Allen, Devon Conway (WK), Kane Williamson (C), Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Adam Milne, Matt Henry, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Ben Sears. Pakistan (Probable XI): Mohammad Rizwan, Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Azam Khan (WK), Aamer Jamal, Usama Mir, Shaheen Afridi (C), Abbas Afridi, Haris Rauf.
A look at the top performers
Mohammad Rizwan's T20I average of 48.65 is the third-best among batters with at least 500 runs. Meanwhile, Babar Azam has clobbered 358 T20I runs at 51.14 on NZ soil. With 1,264 runs at a strike rate of 146.12, Glenn Phillips is NZ's highest run-getter in T20Is since 2021. 32 of Southee's wickets have come against Pakistan at 16.65.
Dream11 Fantasy cricket options
Fantasy XI (Option 1): Devon Conway, Mohammad Rizwan (VC), Babar Azam, Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell (C), Glenn Phillips, Finn Allen, Iftikhar Ahmed, Aamer Jamal, Tim Southee, Shaheen Shah Afridi. Fantasy XI (Option 2): Devon Conway (C), Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips (VC), Finn Allen, Iftikhar Ahmed, Aamer Jamal, Adam Milne, Abbas Afridi.
