With their major players missing due to the IPL 2024, Team New Zealand were bundled out for only 90, in the second T20I vs Pakistan in Rawalpindi on Saturday. The strong bowling show from Pakistan doesn’t come as a surprise, with Shaheen Shah Afridi and ‘comeback man’ Mohammad Amir firing all cylinders.
While Shaheen returned with figures of 3/13, Amir bagged ended with 2/13 in four overs. Spinners Shadab Khan and Abrar Ahmed too chipped in with a couple of wickets each. As for depleted Kiwi squad, Mark Chapman was the top-scorer with 19. Meanwhile, the collapse started in the ninth over only, when New Zealand were 49/3 at one stage.
NZ Bear the Brunt of Missing Key Players
With the likes of Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Daryll Mitchell, Trent Boult, and Glenn Philipps busy with the IPL, New Zealand was bound to struggle in the preparatory series for the T20 World Cup. In fact, there was a lot of hue and cry over social media, especially by the Pakistani fans, where they claimed that the visitors sent an ‘F’ team for the series.
Amir Impresses on Return
Having played his last international match in 2020, Amir showed no rustiness whatsoever and showed, why he is still an asset for Pakistan. He got two top-order batsmen — Tim Robinson and Dean Foxcroft in quick succession. That broke the back of Kiwi batting.
