KATHMANDU: Pakistan have clinched their second consecutive victory in the ICC T20 Cricket World Cup. New Zealand lost to Pakistan by five wickets in a match played in Sharjah, UAE last night.
Pakistan reached the target of 135 runs set by New Zealand by losing 5 wickets in 18 overs. Mohammad Rizwan scored 33, Asif Ali 27, Shoaib Malik 26, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez and Imad Wasim 11-11 in Pakistan’s victory. Captain Babar Azam could add only 9 runs.
For New Zealand, Ish Sodhi took two wickets and Mitchell Stanner, Tim Southee and Trent Bolt took one wicket each. Earlier, batting first, New Zealand lost 8 wickets in 20 overs and scored 134 runs. For New Zealand, Devon Conway and Daryl Mitchell added 27/27, while skipper Ken Williamson scored 25, Martin Guptill 17 and Glenn Phillips 13.
Pakistan’s Haris Rauf took 4 wickets while Shahin Sah Afridi, Imad Wasim and Mohammad Hafeez took 1/1 wickets. Pakistan is at the top of Group 2 with 4 points from 2 games. Pakistan had earlier beaten India by 10 wickets. In another match played yesterday, South Africa defeated defending champions West Indies by 8 wickets.