New Zealand improved from their blowout in the opening match but still looked off the pace.
Pakistan vs New Zealand | Third T20I | Monday 17 April 2023 | Gadaffi Stadium, Lahore | 18:00
Pakistan 1/3 | Tie 25/1 | 51/20
Babar Azam notched the 116th T20I century in the history of the format and his own third in the last match. He will once again be key.
As usual, he was also well supported by Mohammad Rizwan, who struck an aggressive fifty to help Pakistan to a big score.
Fast bowler Haris Rauf already has eight wickets in this series, and we are just two matches in.
Iftikar Ahmed has potential as a deadly finisher and gave his side the acceleration they crave towards the backend.
New Zealand’s improvement was based on the form of Mark Chapman, but they need to find a way to start faster to stay in this series.
Matt Henry has threatened the Pakistan batting lineup, but New Zealand have not been able to back the quick’s effort up.
Skipper Tom Latham has acted a little too much as an anchor and has added to the struggles of this side.
Chad Bowes has shown promise, but he has struggled to break out while batting with Latham.
Verdict: Pakistan
Pakistan should have the power this time around.
