Pakistan set Kiwis 154-run target in 2nd ODI
DUBAI: Pakistan set a modest target of 154 runs for New Zealand in the second Twenty20 international at Dubai Stadium here on Friday.
Winning the toss, captain Shahid Afridi decided to bat and the team made 153 for the loss of five wickets in the allotted 20 overs.
Young Umar Akmal was the top scorer with unbeaten 56 from 49 balls. He hit one six and five boundaries. He reached his maiden fifty in 45 balls.
His elder brother Kamran Akmal (26) and Imran Nazir (19) provided a good start of 40 runs in just 44.5 overs.
Other contributors were Shahid Afridi (22), Fawad Alam (17 not out) while Shoaib Malik could make only seven runs and Abdul Razzaq was dismissed for a duck.
For New Zealand, Butler claimed three wickets for 28 runs.
Pakistan, who won the first Twenty20 by 49 runs here on Thursday, kept an unchanged side, while New Zealand were forced to sit out Aaron Redmond after he hurt his groin during the first match.
Left-arm paceman James Franklin replaced Redmond in the New Zealand team, who were already without their captain Daniel Vettori, ruled out of the two matches after being hit on the grill of his helmet during the one-day series.
The 30-year-old Vettori was given the all-clear following a CT scan but was advised to rest as a precaution.
Pakistan won the first match by 49 runs on Thursday.
Teams:
Pakistan: Shahid Afridi (captain), Imran Nazir, Kamran Akmal, Shoaib Malik, Umer Akmal, Abdul Razzaq, Umar Gul, Mohammad Aamir, Saeed Ajmal, Fawad Alam, Sohail Tanvir
New Zealand: Brendon McCullum (captain), Shane Bond, Neil Broom, Ian Butler, Martin Guptill, Nathan McCullum, James Franklin, Tim Southee, Scott Styris, Ross Taylor, BJ Watling
Umpires: Nadeem Ghouri (PAK), Zameer Haider (PAK), TV umpire: Ahsan Raza (PAK)
Match referee: Andy Pycroft (ZIM)