Pakistan beat New Zealand by 38 runs in 2nd T20I match of three-match series

Lahore: The Pakistan cricket team emerged victorious in the second T20I against New Zealand, winning by a margin of 38 runs and sealing the three-match series on Saturday evening.

Led by an exceptional century from skipper Babar Azam, Pakistan set a formidable target of 193 runs for the loss of only four wickets.

We obtain a 2️⃣-0️⃣ lead after cruising to another victory tonight 👏

4⃣2⃣ wins in T20Is as captain for @babarazam258 🙌#PAKvNZ | #CricketMubarak pic.twitter.com/oVKGBrHlda

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) April 15, 2023

Azam remained unbeaten on 101 runs from 58 balls, while Mohammad Rizwan contributed a half-century, scoring 50 runs from 34 deliveries.

1️⃣2️⃣2️⃣ vs 🇿🇦, 2021
1️⃣1️⃣0️⃣* vs 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿, 2022
1️⃣0️⃣1️⃣* vs 🇳🇿, 2023

The first captain in T20Is to score 3️⃣ 💯s - @babarazam258, take a bow 🫡#PAKvNZ | #CricketMubarak pic.twitter.com/RgSyFMtvdr

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) April 15, 2023

 Iftikhar Ahmad also chipped in with a valuable 33 runs off 19 balls, but Imad Wasim only managed to score two runs from five balls before being dismissed.

In response, the New Zealand team struggled to chase the target, eventually finishing on 154 for seven. Despite a valiant effort from Mark Chapman, who scored 65 runs from 45 balls, New Zealand could not secure a victory. The Pakistani pacers proved to be a tough challenge for the Kiwi batsmen, who found it difficult to stay at the crease.

Playing Squads:

Pakistan: 1 Babar Azam (capt), 2 Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 3 Fakhar Zaman, 4 Saim Ayub, 5 Shadab Khan, 6 Iftikhar Ahmed, 7 Imad Wasim, 8 Faheem Ashraf, 9 Shaheen Afridi,10 Haris Rauf, 11 Zaman Khan

New Zealand: 1 Tom Latham (capt & wk), 2 Chad Bowes, 3 Will Young, 4 Daryl Mitchell, 5 Mark Chapman, 6 James Neesham, 7 Rachin Ravindra, 8 Cole McConchie, 9 Henry Shipley, 10 Matt Henry, 11 Ben Lister