Pakistan 201/4 def Blackcaps 153/10 by 49-runs in Auckland
10:12 pm: A comfortable win by Pakistan. It's first of the series as they snap New Zealand's 13 match win streak. They were quality with the bat, ball and out on the field.
New Zealand's lower order batsmen (technically bowlers) saved them when things could have been much worse.
WICKET: Seth Rance is out for one. Can Pakistan also get Trent Boult out?
WICKET: Sodhi is caught and it is a 49-run win for Pakistan in Auckland.
18th Over: Blackcaps 149/8 Mitchell Santner 35 Ish Sodhi 14
The run rate is now at 19 an over. Sodhi starts the over with a four and that brings up his T20 career high.
WICKET: Santner is gone for 37. He edges the ball to the wicket-keeper and is given out.
17th Over: Blackcaps 145/7 Mitchell Santner 35 Ish Sodhi 10
Ish Sohi gets a rare six and the fans love it. He is two away from tying his T20 career high.
16th Over: Blackcaps 135/7 Mitchell Santner 33 Ish Sodhi 2
Five overs remain in Auckland and off the first ball of the new over, Santner smacks the ball for four.
Another good over by the away side and the required run rate is over 16.
Mitchell Santner is now the top run-scorer for New Zealand in the match.
15th Over: Blackcaps 124/7 Mitchell Santner 23 Ish Sodhi 1
Now the bowler is our top run scorer in the match!
WICKET: Ben Wheeler is finally out as he is bowled as the stumps come out of the ground. Wheeler departs for 30. They now need 84 runs off 33 balls.
Ish Sodhi faces his first ball and it goes for four leg byes.
14th Over: Blackcaps 114/6 Ben Wheeler 26 Mitchell Santner 22
Ben Wheeler wants in on the six action and he blasts one into the stands. Great fielding by the visitors prevents more boundaries being scored. Now Mr Wheeler is our tied top run scorer in the match!
13th Over: Blackcaps 104/6 Ben Wheeler 17 Mitchell Santner 21
Another lucky shot by Mitchell Santner as the score approaches 100. Who would have thought at this stage he would be our second highest run scorer in this match...
A six by Ben Wheeler and that brings up the 100 for NZ.
12th Over: Blackcaps 88/6 Ben Wheeler 9 Mitchell Santner 15
An unorthodox shot by Mitchell Santner goes for four off the second ball. The third ball nearly foes for six, but some amazing fielding for Mohammad Nawaz saves a maximum.
11th Over: Blackcaps 80/6 Ben Wheeler 8 Mitchell Santner 8
Another strong over by the Pakistan bowlers, this time Shadab Khan delivers the goods as the away side edge closer to a win.
10th Over: Blackcaps 74/6 Ben Wheeler 6 Mitchell Santner 4
Another run out chance for Pakistan, but a poor throw fails to go anywhere near the stumps. At the midway point, New Zealand need 128 runs off 60 balls!
9th Over: Blackcaps 66/6 Ben Wheeler 1 Mitchell Santner 1
Colin De Grandhomme is fired up and stars the over with a six.
WICKET: After hitting the six, De Grandhomme is gone! He is stumped. That is four straight overs where a wicket has been taken.
8th Over: Blackcaps 58/5 Colin De Grandhomme 4 Mitchell Santner 0
Potential run out. Phillips looks safe, but the umpires just want to check.
WICKET: Now Glenn Phillips is gone. He departs for five runs.
7th Over: Blackcaps 56/4 Glenn Phillips 3 Colin De Grandhomme 4
Pakistan are in the box seat right now. One more wicket in the next two overs and New Zealand will be under real pressure.
The Blackcaps sneak through a couple of early runs in the over, but Pakistan's fielding has been brilliant so far.
WICKET: Martin Guptill is out for 26. The batsmen edges it to the fielder and as soon as he hit it, you could tell he was not happy with that.
6th Over: Blackcaps 49/3 Martin Guptill 25 Glenn Phillips 1
Hasan Ali into the attack and he wants to get Guptill out now.
WICKET: It is a runout and it was a shocking run and a brilliant throw by Haris Sohail. Tom Bruce is out at least a few metres back. Bruce is out for 11.
5th Over: Blackcaps 46/2 Martin Guptill 23 Tom Bruce 11
New Zealand needs more than 10 runs an over right now. Tom Bruce hits a four which will help the cause, and then he follows it up with a six, but that six should have been a catch as it goes through the fielder's hands over the ropes.
4th Over: Blackcaps 30/2 Martin Guptill 22 Tom Bruce 1
Guptill continues his strong start in the fourth over.
WICKET: Now Kane Williamson is gone after only facing one ball. That was a poor shot by the skipper and now the home side is in real trouble.
Tom Bruce comes in and he gets a single to start off.
3rd Over: Blackcaps 25/1 Martin Guptill 17 Kane Williamson 0
Strong start by Amir, but off the fourth ball Martin Guptill smashes the ball into the stands for six.
WICKET: Colin Munro is gone for only one run by LBW while only facing two balls.
That was a strong over by Amir.
2nd Over: Blackcaps 16/0 Martin Guptill 9 Colin Munro 1
Rumman Raees now into the attack for the away side and he also starts strong against New Zealand. Munro is on strike now and its a no ball and Guptill will get a free hit.
Guppy hits the ball for four which is followed up with a single to end the over.
1st Over: Blackcaps 5/0 Martin Guptill 1 Colin Munro 0
First all by Mohammad Amir goes for four leg byes, but the bowler bonces back strong with four dot balls as New Zealand finish the over 5/0
8:35 pm: Colin Munro and Martin Guptill will open the batting for New Zealand. It looked like Munro picked up an injury while fielding so it will be interesting to see how he goes on his home ground.
8:29 pm: The Blackcaps require 202 runs for victory.
20th Over: PAKISTAN 201/4 Babar Azam 50 Hasan Ali 5
Trent Boult to bowl the final over of the match. Pakistan are out swinging like crazy to get some final runs on the board.
Final ball and Babar Azam hits a four and gets his 50. New Zealand need 202 runs to win the second T20 in Auckland.
19th Over: PAKISTAN 190/4 Babar Azam 45 Hasan Ali 0
Second to last over with Ben Wheeler looking for a wicket. His second ball is perfectly bowled... for Sarfraz Ahmed to blast for six into the stands of Eden Park.
WICKET: After hitting a massive six, Sarfraz Ahmed is caught after trying to go big again. He is out for 41.
WICKET: Faheem Ashraf doesn't last long as Mitchell Santner redeems himself with a catch. Faheem Ashraf departs for 0.
The final ball nearly was caught also but it doesn't hold.
18th Over: PAKISTAN 181/2 Babar Azam 42 Sarfraz Ahmed 35
Seth Rance in for his final over. Can he finish his spell strong? First ball is a wide but the next two are singles. But after that it goes downhill as Pakistan look likely for 200+.
Second to last ball, the ball is hit straight to Santner but it goes straight through his hands and the away side is let off the hook. Rance bowled three wide balls in the over.
17th Over: PAKISTAN 168/2 Babar Azam 34 Sarfraz Ahmed 33
Ish Sodhi in for his final over and Pakistan are now showing him no mercy as his first ball goes for four... His second one nearly does the same but his hand deflects the ball.
But the next two balls go for four and then six respectively. It was a strong start by Sodhi but now Pakistan are going all out.
16th Over: PAKISTAN 150/2 Babar Azam 28 Sarfraz Ahmed 22
Trent Boult comes back and BANG!! Sarfraz Ahmed smashes the ball for six - straight down the ground. Despite the six, Boult bounces back strong.
15th Over: PAKISTAN 137/2 Babar Azam 23 Sarfraz Ahmed 15
Ish back to spin Pakistan out of their shoes, and it turns out to be another solid over by the 25-year-old.
14th Over: PAKISTAN 130/2 Babar Azam 19 Sarfraz Ahmed 12
Some mediocre fielding here by New Zealand as Pakistan continue to get runs on the board. Ben Wheeler is in his third over. It was an improved over but the last ball goes to the ropes as Pakistan aim to post a high score.
13th Over: PAKISTAN 121/2 Babar Azam 12 Sarfraz Ahmed 10
A tough over by Colin De Grandhomme as the away side build on their next partnership.
12th Over: PAKISTAN 108/2 Babar Azam 7 Sarfraz Ahmed 4
Mitchell Santner is back to have another bowl and he will be hoping to avoid a repeat of his first. Another shakey over which has two wide deliveries which he won't be happy with.
11th Over: PAKISTAN 100/2 Babar Azam 3 Sarfraz Ahmed 1
Babar Azam is the new batsmen into the attack as Colin De Grandhomme
comes in for a bowl.
WICKET: De Grandhomme's inclusion pays of as he gets a wicket and the dangerman, Fakhar Zaman departs for 50.
Great over by De Grandhomme as the Blackcaps start to show more fight.
10th Over: PAKISTAN 94/1 Ahmed Shehzad 44 Fakhar Zaman 50
Seth Rance in for his third over. Second ball Pakistan go for a run but the ball goes straight to Martin Guptill and he throws it right at the stumps but it just misses.
Fakhar Zaman brings up his maiden T20 fifty with a single. It took him 26 balls to acheive the feat...
Next ball goes for six and the onslaught continues...
WICKET: But the next ball goes straight to the fielder and the Blackcaps finally get a breakthrough. Ahmed Shehzad departs for 44.
9th Over: PAKISTAN 86/0 Ahmed Shehzad 37 Fakhar Zaman 49
Ish Sodhi into the attack for his second over. A very close run out in the over but it is given not out! A great over by the spinner as Pakistan only score three runs.
8th Over: PAKISTAN 83/0 Ahmed Shehzad 34 Fakhar Zaman 49
Mitchell Santner now into the attack. And finally the first six of the match. It doesn't go near the crowd. But the next ball does and goes flying into the crowd - It goes near some fans in orange shirts but nobody catches.
Last ball of the over goes for six and It was another expensive over with Santner getting smashed for 22 runs.
7th Over: PAKISTAN 61/0 Ahmed Shehzad 33 Fakhar Zaman 28
Ish Sodhi, the best T20 bowler in the world will look to bring Pakistan's run rate to a halt as he comes into the attack. Only four runs conceded in that over.
6th Over: PAKISTAN 57/0 Ahmed Shehzad 31 Fakhar Zaman 26
Ben Wheeler to bowl his second over. First ball is a dot, but the next two go for four. Pakistan are playing some great cricket so far. Fifth ball also goes down the ground and hits the ropes.
5th Over: PAKISTAN 44/0 Ahmed Shehzad 22 Fakhar Zaman 22
Seth Race back into the attack for his second over of the match. First ball goes for four and the Pakistan fans love it. Two balls later and another four which was very close to being a six. The last ball of the over also goes for four. New Zealand under pressure.
4th Over: PAKISTAN 30/0 Ahmed Shehzad 13 Fakhar Zaman 17
Ben Wheeler now comes into the attack for New Zealand as they look to get their first wicket of the match. But his first ball goes for four. Despite getting off to a shakey start, Wheeler bounces back to finish the over strong with three straight dot balls.
3rd Over: PAKISTAN 25/0 Ahmed Shehzad 8 Fakhar Zaman 17
Pakistan is here to play people! They are off to a strong start here in Auckland. Boult is in his second over and the visitors score seven runs off the over.
2nd Over: PAKISTAN 18/0 Ahmed Shehzad 6 Fakhar Zaman 12
Seth Rance to bowl the second over, and his first ball is a dot ball but the second ball goes for four. Fourth ball also goes for four and it has been an expensive over from Rance.
1st Over: PAKISTAN 6/0 Ahmed Shehzad 1 Fakhar Zaman 5
Trent Boult opens the bowling for the home side and two dot balls to start the match. The third ball goes to the ropes for four. Great first over by New Zealand.
6:58 pm: Ahmed Shehzad and Fakhar Zaman will open the batting for Pakistan.
6:50 pm: Play is still 10 minutes away... Did anybody see the big cricket news of the day? If not, click here to find out what went down!
6:41 pm: The Blackcaps are unbeaten in 13 straight matches in all forms of cricket. They are yet to be beaten this summer.
6:34 pm: Pakistan have won the toss and they will bat first in the second T20.
Hello and welcome to lie updates of the second Twenty20 match between the Blackcaps and Pakistan from Eden Park in Auckland, New Zealand.
New Zealand won the first T20, and will look to claim another series win this summer with victory in Auckland.
We bring you live streaming written commentary, video highlights (be sure to refresh your browser) and all the action. VIDEO will be available at the conclusion of the match. Commentary will start from around 6:30 pm (NZ time).
Lineups
Blackcaps: Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Kane Williamson (c), Tom Bruce, Glenn Phillips, Colin De Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Ben Wheeler, Ish Sodhi, Seth Rance, Trent Boult
Pakistan: Ahmed Shehzad, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Haris Sohail, Sarfraz Ahmed (capt & wk), Shadab Khan, Aamer Yamin, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Nawaz, Hasan Ali/Rumman Raees, Mohammad Amir
Match Officials
Umpires: Shaun Haig (NZL)
TV Umpire: Chris Brown and Wayne Knights (Both NZL)
Reserve Umpire: Babar Azam and Tony Gillies (Both NZL)
TAB ODDS
Head to head: New Zealand - $1.30 Pakistan- $3.30
Top run scorer NZ: Colin Munro - $3.50, Martin Guptill - $3.50
Top run scorer PAK: Babar Azam - $4.00 Fakhar Zaman - $4.00
Pre-match banter: Get him in the game: Why Ish Sodhi needs to play more than just T20
The 25-year old may have gone wicketless in his four overs against Pakistan yesterday, but he offered yet another tantalising glimpse of his immense potential.
Sodhi's omission from all formats - and the one-day side in particular - continues to be one of the most puzzling decisions for cricket fans to swallow.
Curiously, the selectors have gone to bat for Canterbury leg-spinner Todd Astle, with the elder statesman preferred to arguably the country's most exciting bowler.
It's understandable why the selectors are keen on Astle. The 31-year old is more experienced, has a lot more domestic cricket under his belt and offers more with the bat than Sodhi.
Plus, he's done nothing wrong since fighting his way into the side. In six ODIs, he's scored 69 runs at an average of 34.50, while taking seven wickets at an average of 21.42.
Those type of stats are more than good enough to keep him in the team. So why pick Sodhi?
He's undoubtedly the future of New Zealand spin bowling. Sodhi's a genuine turner of the ball, with a searing wrong'un that makes the batsman's Kookaburra feel like a toothbrush.
The vicious revolutions on the ball, when it tears out of his hand, are matched by the batsman's baffled mind, as he stabs hopefully at the ball.
Sodhi is one of those bowlers people love to watch. There's a buzz around the ground, when the ball is thrown to him.
The commentators perk up, the fans edge closer to their seats, you put the dishes down in the kitchen to catch a few deliveries. He makes things happen.
Like all leg-spinners, patience is needed. Sodhi is still prone to a long-hop that gets plundered to the fence.
He makes up for it, though, with that beautifully flighted delivery that drops, grips and kicks.
Sodhi has a huge future ahead of him, if he's given the chance. His Twenty20 record is outstanding and he's currently the number one bowler in the world in the shortest form of the game.
There's no doubt he would have had plenty of tempting offers from the likes of the Big Bash and, given his form in India last year, it would be a huge surprise if he wasn't picked up in the IPL auction this weekend.
All of this means New Zealand Cricket has to play this out with soft hands.
He needs to know there's a future for him across all three formats.
The last thing they need is for Sodhi to pack up his gear and travel the lucrative T20 circuit.
Giving him an extended crack in the ODI side seems the logical step. It's worth pointing out that just because he's a gun in the T20 side, doesn't mean he'll be a gun in ODI cricket.
You can't compare the forms of the game like that, the same way it's foolish to suggest Colin Munro should be playing Test cricket, based on his performances in limited-overs cricket.
Coach Mike Hesson has indicated Sodhi is the next cab off the rank in the ODI side. That can't come soon enough.
Sodhi's been left out in the cold, missing the last 15 one-dayers for the Blackcaps.
His ODI record isn't staggering, but it's not awful either. He's taken 18 wickets in 19 matches, at an average of 40.68.
His economy rate is good, at 5.34. Unsurprisingly, given New Zealand conditions, Sodhi's mainly been used overseas, playing just a third of his games in Aotearoa.
Hesson has a valid point about his batting.
Sodhi's scored just five runs in six innings, although it's worth taking a look at his domestic record - he has eight fifties and a highest score of 82 not-out in first-class cricket.
The Blackcaps bowling attack is already incredibly potent, with the swing kings up top and the wicket-taking ability of Lockie Ferguson.
Add Sodhi to the mix and you have the X-Factor, alongside Ferguson, and a player capable of winning the match on his own.
It might seem like hair-splitting to pull apart a New Zealand side that's won 13 games in a row across all formats.
Good teams have consistency, great teams avoid complacency, but the best teams are always looking to improve.
Ish Sodhi makes them even better right now and for years to come.
Newshub.
