Left-handers Shaheen Shah Afridi and Mohammad Amir shared five wickets to rock New Zealand for a paltry 90 before Mohammad Rizwan anchored the chase to help Pakistan win the second Twenty20 clash on Saturday in Rawalpindi. Shaheen led the attack with 3-13 while Amir, returning to international cricket after nearly four years, finished with 2-13 as the visitors were bowled out in 18.1 overs after being sent in to bat. Rizwan finished with 45 off 34 balls with a six and four boundaries to ensure Pakistan chased down a modest target in 12.1 overs for a seven-wicket win and took a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.
The first match, also in Rawalpindi, was called off after just two deliveries on Thursday.
New Zealand hit back with wickets of Saim Ayub (four), Babar Azam (14) and debutant Usman Khan (seven), but Muhammad Irfan Khan (run-a-ball 18) partnered Rizwan in an unfinished 36-run stand to seal victory.
Ayub hit a boundary off the first ball of the innings before giving a return catch to pacer Ben Lister in the next, while Azam was bowled by rival captain Michael Bracewell and Usman bowled by spinner Ish Sodhi.
Azam credited his bowling for the kick-off.
“It’s crucial to set the tone in the first six overs at this ground,” Azam said of the Pindi stadium, which hosted 16,000 fans at the weekend.
“The way Naseem, Shaheen and Amir played was excellent and helped us get early wickets.”
Bracewell lamented the batting failure.
“We didn’t score enough runs,” Bracewell said. “We were a little slow in adapting to the surface and, in the end, we put ourselves under pressure. We have a game tomorrow and we need to learn quickly.”
Earlier, Amir – returning to international cricket after nearly four years – rattled New Zealand in the opening overs.
Amir retired abruptly in 2020 after being dropped from the team, the second break in his career after being banned for five years in a 2010 spot-fixing scandal.
Spinners Abrar Ahmed (2-15) and Shadab Khan (2-15) doubled the pressure as New Zealand were dismissed for the second-lowest total against Pakistan in the shortest format of the game.
Mark Chapman (19), Cole McConchie (15), Dean Foxcroft (13) and Tim Seifert (13) were the only batsmen to reach double figures.
Chapman hit three boundaries in his 16-ball knock.
New Zealand’s lowest T20I total against Pakistan is 80, made in Christchurch in 2010.
Fast bowler Naseem Shah, also playing his first match since injuring his shoulder in September last year, scored 1-27 in four overs.
Both teams are preparing for the Twenty20 World Cup, which will be held in June in the United States and the West Indies.
New Zealand is missing several of its best players due to playing in the Indian Premier League, unavailability and injuries.
The remaining matches will be in Rawalpindi on Sunday, followed by the final two in Lahore on April 25 and 27.
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