New Zealand Seal Series With 39-Run Victory

New Zealand Seal Series With 39-Run Victory

Nathan McCullum returned four for 16 to bowl New Zealand to a comprehensive win in Hamilton

©REUTERS/Andrew Caballero-Reynolds (SRI LANKA - Tags: SPORT CRICKET) Picture Supplied by Action Images

New Zealand 185-7 (Guptill 44, Franklin 40) beat
Pakistan 146-9 (McCullum 4-16) by 39 runs
Second Twenty20 International, Hamilton
Scorecard

New Zealand produced a polished performance to beat Pakistan by 39 runs in the second Twenty20 International in Hamilton, moving into an unassailable 2-0 series lead in the process.

They scored 185 for seven after being invited to bat first by Pakistan, who then closed on 146 for nine as man-of-the-match Nathan McCullum snared four wickets for 16 runs.

New Zealand lost the wicket of Jesse Ryder to the first ball of the match when he was caught by Umar Akmal off Abdul Razzaq but they barely suffered as Martin Guptill (44) and James Franklin (40) combined to add 91 for the second wicket.

With the rebuilding work done, that allowed Ross Taylor (30 not out in 21 balls), Scott Styris (34 in 14) and Peter McGlashan (26 in 10) to hit out to great effect in the closing stages of the innings.

Saeed Ajmal took two wickets in the final over to return figures of three for 35 while there was a wicket apiece for Razzaq, Shoaib Akhtar, Wahab Riaz and Shahid Afridi.

Pakistan, by contrast, then lost wickets at regular intervals and no batsman could support Mohammad Hafeez, who top scored with 46 in 30 balls from the rop of the order.

He hit four fours and two sixes but his team-mates struggled to find any rhythm, with only Akmal's 26 and Wahab Riaz's 18 late on threatening the New Zealand bowlers.

Off-spinner McCullum dismissed Younus Khan (3), Asad Shafiq (6), Razzaq (14) and Umar Gul (0) to return his career-best figures while Tim Southee, who took a hat-trick in the opening match in Auckland, took two for 26.

The third and final match is in Christchurch on 30th December.

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