Dunedin, March 18 New Zealand stand-in captain Michael Bracewell was full of praise for his bowlers after their commanding five-wicket win over Pakistan in the second T20I at University Oval.
Speaking after the match, Bracewell highlighted the exceptional performance of his bowlers, especially those who had to contend with the strong wind.
"The bowling was extraordinary, first of all. The guys bowling into the wind today bowled particularly well and kept them to a score, which we're pretty happy with. That is definitely an assessment during the game. That probably goes away from the instincts of the death bowlers a little bit, not using the yorkers and things like that," Bracewell said after the win in the second T20I against Pakistan.
New Zealand pacers set the tone early, with Jacob Duffy and Ben Sears striking crucial blows in the powerplay. Ish Sodhi’s double-wicket over further derailed Pakistan’s innings before late cameos from Shadab Khan and Shaheen Afridi pushed them to a somewhat respectable total.
However, the Kiwis never looked troubled in their chase, thanks to Finn Allen’s explosive start and Tim Seifert’s quick-fire knock, and sealed the 5-wicket win.
Bracewell also emphasised how the windy conditions played a major role in their strategy. "It's a pretty small ground here, and it was very tough bowling into that wind today. It was very strong. We aimed to target the downwind overs and sort of just take in a little bit with the wind," he explained.
Despite Shaheen Afridi bowling a maiden over to start, New Zealand quickly seized control, smashing seven sixes in the first three overs. While Pakistan managed a few breakthroughs in the middle overs, the hosts never lost momentum, eventually chasing down the target with 11 balls to spare.
With a 2-0 lead in the five-match series, Bracewell was pleased with his team’s performance and urged them to maintain their winning momentum. "We've been playing some really good cricket so far, so we just want to continue what we're doing," he said.
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