Babar Azam's half-century was in vain as New Zealand defeated Pakistan by 21 runs at Seddon Park in Hamilton in the second T20I of their five-match series.
Opener Finn Allen and pacer Adam Milne were the standout performers for New Zealand as they took a commanding 2-0 lead in the five-match series.
Pakistan's Shaheen Shah Afridi won the toss and elected to field first. Allen and Devon Conway, the opening pair for New Zealand, got off to an explosive start, attacking from the very beginning.
The duo put together a solid partnership of 59 runs before Conway was dismissed by Aamer Jamal in the sixth over. However, Allen continued his aggressive approach and formed another partnership of 52 runs, this time with Kane Williamson, before the New Zealand captain had to retire hurt due to hamstring tightness.
Allen went on to complete his half-century before being dismissed by Usama Mir in the 13th over. His blistering knock of 74 runs off just 41 balls, including seven boundaries and five sixes, had already inflicted significant damage on Pakistan.
Daryl Mitchell and Mitchell Santner also made valuable contributions with 17 and 25 runs respectively, helping New Zealand reach a total of 194 for 8 in their innings. Haris Rauf was the standout bowler for Pakistan, taking three wickets while conceding 38 runs in his four overs.
Pakistan had a disastrous start in their pursuit of 195 runs, with both openers Saim Ayub and Mohammad Rizwan being dismissed in the first two overs. Tim Southee, who became the first men's cricketer to reach 150 T20I wickets, initiated the proceedings for the New Zealand team.
Ayub was the first to depart as Southee dismissed him in the very first over. Adam Milne then struck in the second over, causing Rizwan to edge a back-of-a-length delivery to wicket-keeper Conway.
With Pakistan struggling at 10 for 2, Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman took charge and launched an aggressive attack against the hosts, forming an impressive 87-run partnership. Fakhar achieved a milestone of 6000 runs in T20 cricket while reaching his half-century. He smashed 50 runs off just 25 deliveries, including three boundaries and five sixes, before being dismissed by Milne in the 10th over.
Babar continued to score at an exceptional strike-rate, but unfortunately, he lacked support from the other end as wickets kept falling around him. Iftikhar Ahmed, Azam Khan, and Aamer Jamal came and went without making a significant impact on the scoreboard. Pakistan, who were once cruising at 97 for 2, found themselves struggling at 125 for 6.
Babar completed his half-century before falling victim to Ben Sears in the 18th over. He scored an impressive 66 runs off 43 balls, including seven boundaries and two sixes. Skipper Shaheen played a quick-fire knock of 22 off 13 but couldn't lead his team to victory, as he was dismissed by Milne in the 19th over. Pakistan eventually collapsed for 173 runs, losing the match by 21 runs.
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 "NZ vs PAK: Finn Allen, Adam Milne shine as New Zealand beat Pakistan by 21 runs, lead 5-match series 2-0")
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