New Zealand’s 84-run win over Pakistan in the second ODI in Hamilton on Tuesday gave the hosts an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series, thanks to wicketkeeper-batter Mitchell Hay‘s unbeaten 99 and a five-wicket haul by pacer Ben Sears.
Hay was unlucky to miss a century by just a solitary run, but his 78-ball blitz helped New Zealand put up a challenging 292 for 8 on the board, after which Sears led the bowling charge with a spell of 5 for 59 that saw Pakistan getting bowled out for 208 in 41.2 overs.
New Zealand had won the first ODI by 73 runs.
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Hay’s knock rescued the Kiwis from a mid-innings bother, as the wicketkeeper-batter struck 7 fours and as many sixes, having arrived at the crease when New Zealand were at a precarious 132 for 5 in the 27th over.
Pakistan’s response faltered early when Will O’Rourke had Abdullah Shafique (1) caught at first slip in the third over, followed by Babar Azam (1) being caught at second slip off Jacob Duffy in the subsequent over.
In his next over, Duffy claimed Imam-ul-Haq’s (3) wicket. Pakistan were 9 for 3 in the sixth over and Sears made it worse for the visitors, dismissing both Salman Agha (9) and Mohammad Rizwan (5) in his first over to make it 32 for 5 in 12 overs.
Tayyab Tahir (13) and Faheem Ashraf collaborated for a 33-run sixth-wicket partnership before Tahir was sent back by Nathan Smith. After Haris Rauf retired hurt on 3, his concussion substitute Naseem Shah joined Ashraf to build a 60-run stand.
Both scored their maiden half-centuries, with Ashraf accumulating 73 from 80 balls while Naseem contributed 51 off 44 deliveries.
Earlier, under overcast conditions and with a green-tinged pitch favouring bowling, Pakistan captain Rizwan elected to field after winning the toss. But Nick Kelly and Rhys Mariu started confidently despite their lack of experience.
Their partnership reached 54 runs before Kelly, playing just his second international match, edged Rauf to be caught behind for 31, including 4 fours and 2 sixes.
Making his first appearance, Mariu departed for 18 runs from 25 deliveries, offering a simple catch to Azam at mid-off from Wasim’s first over.
The bowling pair of Wasim and Rauf restricted the run flow effectively, with Henry Nicholls and Daryl Mitchell requiring until the 16th over to help New Zealand reach 100.
When spin was introduced, Mitchell’s innings concluded at 18 runs as Rizwan completed a stumping off Sufiyan Muqeem’s delivery. Nicholls followed in the subsequent over, departing for 22.
Bracewell and Abbas managed a modest 30-run partnership spanning 10 overs before Wasim dismissed Bracewell, who was caught behind after scoring 17.
Abbas, who was born in Pakistan, formed a steady partnership of 77 runs with Hay, until he departed after scoring 41.
Among the Pakistan bowlers, Muqeem delivered the best performance with figures of 2 for 33, while Wasim finished with 2 for 78.
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