Hamilton: An unbeaten 129-run stand between Kane Williamson and Tim Seifert and a four-wicket haul from Tim Southee saw New Zealand take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the T20I series against Pakistan here on Sunday.
A stunning 99 from Mohammad Hafeez wasn’t enough to help Pakistan salvage the game as New Zealand produced a fine all-round performance to seal the series in the second match at Seddon Park.
Chasing 164 for a win, New Zealand were driven by the century partnership between Seifert and Williamson for the second wicket.
Seifert began with a cracking drive off Shaheen Shah Afridi in the first over, carrying his form from the first T20I into the game. Martin Guptill looked in good touch for his 21 before miscuing a pull shot to gift a catch to the deep fielder.
Williamson had a nervy edge to start off with on his return, and the duo played it safe until the end of powerplay with just 46 coming off the first six overs. It seemed to be a cue for Seifert to open up and he did so with aplomb, collecting three sixes in the first over after the Powerplay. Wahab Riaz was at the receiving end of some outstanding hitting. (UNI)