Udaipur, April 2, 2025: Abdullah Shafiq (1), Imam-ul-Haq (3), Babar Azam (1), Mohammad Rizwan (5), and Salman Agha (9)—these were the scores of Pakistan's top five batsmen while chasing 292 runs against New Zealand! Pakistan lost the second ODI of the series in just 12 overs. Their score was 32 for 5 in 11.4 overs. Managing to reach 208 runs in the end was mostly due to luck and of course some resilience by Fahim Ashraf and Naseem Shah who scored 73 and 51 runs respectively.

The rest is the story of New Zealand's series victory. After winning the first match by 73 runs in Napier, they also won the second match in Hamilton by 84 runs. The third and final match of the series will be played in Mount Maunganui on Saturday.

Symbol of Fear for Pakistan

The New Zealand jersey has become a symbol of fear for Pakistan's players. Over the last three months, Pakistan has been losing against teams wearing this jersey, whether playing at home or abroad, batting first or second, in both T20Is and ODIs.

Pakistan’s Batting Struggles Continue

In the second ODI of the series, Pakistan was all out for 208 runs in 41.2 overs. The highest score of 73 runs came from bowling all-rounder Fahim Ashraf, who faced only seven balls. Naseem Shah, who replaced Haris Rauf as a concussion sub, made the second-highest score of 51 runs from 44 balls.

The rest of the top order failed, and the responsibility lies mainly with them. Abdullah Shafiq, Babar Azam, and Imam-ul-Haq were dismissed within six overs. Imam and Babar were bowled by Jacob Duffy, while Shafiq was dismissed by Will O'Rourke. Pakistan was already out of the match before the chase could even begin, as captain Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Agha couldn't last long.

Fahim Ashraf's Late Fight

The next task was to keep the score as modest as possible. Fahim Ashraf attempted this with a 33-run partnership for the sixth wicket with Taib Tahir in 55 balls. However, the best partnership of Pakistan's innings came from the tenth wicket, which the top-order batsmen could be ashamed of. Fahim shared a 60-run partnership with Naseem Shah in 56 balls before being dismissed by Ben Shears in the 38th over.

Naseem Shah’s Resilient Fifty

Naseem Shah delayed Pakistan's series loss with a valiant effort. He had not been in the XI but got the chance to bat as a concussion sub after Haris Rauf was hit on the helmet by O'Rourke's delivery in 24.4 overs. Naseem couldn't avoid the ball, which came up, and after Rauf returned as a retired hurt, Naseem came in as a concussion sub when Akif Javed was dismissed in 28.2 overs. Naseem scored his first ODI fifty in 41 balls, with 4 sixes and 4 fours. He also fought for the last wicket partnership before being dismissed for 51 runs off 44 balls in the 42nd over. He put on a 34-run partnership off 22 balls with Sufian Mukim. Naseem became the first Pakistani to score a fifty in an ODI at number 11, following in the footsteps of Mohammad Amir, who did so against England in 2016.

Mitchell Hay’s Near Century Leads New Zealand

After losing the toss and batting first in cloudy conditions at Seddon Park, Mitchell Hay remained unbeaten on 99 runs from 78 balls for New Zealand. He scored 22 runs in the final over, hitting two sixes and two fours off Mohammad Wasim, missing a century by just one run. Mohammad Abbas, who is Pakistani-born, scored 41 runs off 66 balls, and Nick Kelly made 31 runs from 23 balls.

Brief Scores:

New Zealand: 292/8 in 50 overs (Hay 99*, Abbas 41, Kelly 31, Nicholls 22; Sufian 2/33, Wasim 2/78).

Pakistan: 208 in 41.2 overs (Fahim 73, Naseem 51, Tahir 13, Sufian 13*; Sears 5/59, Duffy 3/35).

Result: New Zealand won by 84 runs.

Man of the Match: Mitchell Hay (New Zealand).

Series: New Zealand lead the three-match series 2–0.