Cricket: Pakistan crush Blackcaps by six wickets in second ODI

Pakistan have cruised to a crushing six-wicket win over the Blackcaps in the second ODI in Abu Dhabi, levelling the three-match series on Saturday (NZ time).

The victory ended Pakistan's 12-match ODI losing streak against New Zealand, which stretches back to 2014.

The win was a great result for Pakistan, considering they lost the first match by 47 runs on Thursday.

Having won the toss and elected to bat, the Blackcaps batsmen failed to fire, as Pakistan's bowlers limited New Zealand to a dismal 209/9 at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium.

Ross Taylor (86 not out) top-scored for New Zealand, but the wickets kept falling around him, as the Blackcaps once again struggled through the middle period. 

The early dismissals of Colin Munro (13) and Kane Williamson (one) left the Blackcaps on the back foot at 25/2, when Taylor came to the crease.

Williamson's loss was a cruel blow, when George Worker drove Shaheen Shah Afridi back down the ground and the bowler stooped low enough to get a finger on the ball, deflecting it onto the wickets.

Williamson was stranded hopelessly down the pitch and could only watch in despair.

Worker (28) then departed and Tom Latham (one) was bowled in the following over, leaving the Blackcaps on 73/4.

Taylor and Henry Nicholls' 75-run partnership was vital in ensuring the visitors weren't bowled out, but it came in 21 overs, which eliminated any chance of the Blackcaps posting a respectable score.

Eventually, New Zealand scraped through to the end, scoring 32 runs off the last four overs to set Pakistan 210 for victory.

Taylor, Worker and Nicholls were the only Blackcaps batsmen to score more than 20, as all the others failed to score more than 14 - five finished on one.

Teenage sensation Afridi took four wickets for the second consecutive game, finishing his nine overs on 4/48, while Shadab Khan was 1/25 from his 10 overs.

Pakistan's chase got off to a great start, but opening batsmen Imam-ul-Haq (16) was forced to retire injured, after being hit in the head by a Lockie Ferguson screamer.

Lockie Ferguson took three wickets.
Lockie Ferguson took three wickets. Photo credit: Photosport

Ul-Haq left the field and was later seen on a stretcher, on his way to hospital.

That brought Babar Azam to the crease and he built a 101-run partnership with Fakhar Zaman, which put the hosts well in control. 

Zaman (88) departed in the 29th over and Azam (46) went three balls later, leaving Pakistan on 156/2.

Shoaib Malik (10) was the next to depart, when his shot hit Nicholls in the shoulder and the ball went up in the air, straight into the hands of Ish Sodhi.

Sodhi then took the wicket of captain Sarfraz Ahmed (13), but Pakistan were never in trouble, with Mohammad Hafeez hitting the winning runs three overs later to finish on 212/4 with 57 balls to spare.

Ferguson was the pick of the Kiwi bowlers, finishing with 3/60, while Sohdi was 1/21 from his six overs, which included two maidern overs. 

The third and final ODI will be played on Monday in Dubai.

Newshub.