Cricket Match Prediction | New Zealand vs Pakistan | 2nd T20I | March 18 – Can PAK get their first win in this match?

NZ vs PAK Match Analysis

New Zealand vs Pakistan will play each other in the 2nd match of the 5-match T20I series, which will be played on March 18, 2025, at 07:15 AM BST at University Oval, Dunedin. New Zealand secured a dominant victory over Pakistan on Sunday in the first of five T20Is, chasing down the target with nine wickets in hand and 59 balls to spare!

Pakistan is under immense pressure ahead of the second match. If Pakistan loses, the series will be nearly out of reach, but a victory would bring them right back into contention and create pressure on NZ. With an understrength batting lineup, PAK will rely heavily on their bowlers to deliver a top-class performance—otherwise, this match and the series could quickly slip away from them.

NZ vs PAK Team Preview & Squads

New Zealand 

New Zealand may not be fielding their strongest possible T20I side—the one they would choose for a T20 World Cup—but their incredible depth across all positions makes them one of the best all-format teams in world cricket.

Heading into the second game of the series, Tim Seifert will be eager to build on his solid knock of 44 from 29 balls in the opening match. At the top of the order, Finn Allen—who smashed 137 runs off just 62 balls in his last T20I at this venue—will look to maintain his aggressive approach, with Tim Robinson and Daryl Mitchell reinforcing a formidable top four.

Despite the absence of Tim Southee, Trent Boult, and Matt Henry, New Zealand still boast a strong pace attack. Kyle Jamieson and Jacob Duffy can match the impact of those senior bowlers, and Jamieson, in particular, will aim to maintain his exceptional economy rate of 2.00 from Christchurch when the match gets underway.

New Zealand Squads

New Zealand

Tim Seifert, Daryl Mitchell, Jacob Duffy, Michael Bracewell, Will O’Rourke, Tim Robinson, Finn Allen, Ish Sodhi, Ben Sears, Mark Chapman, James Neesham, Kyle Jamieson, Mitchell Hay. 

Pakistan

Pakistan once again found themselves on the back foot early in an international match against New Zealand and struggled to recover in Sunday’s game. To avoid a repeat, they must be switched on from the very first ball when the second T20I gets underway in Dunedin on Tuesday.

With both openers dismissed for ducks and Irfan Khan and Shadab Khan managing just four runs combined in the top five, the batting needs significant improvement. Captain Agha Salman is a dependable performer across formats, but he will need strong support from Mohammad Haris and Shadab Khan in this contest.

On the bowling front, Abrar Ahmed was the only Pakistani player to take a wicket in the opening match, but with Shaheen Shah Afridi in the attack, Pakistan will be hopeful of making better use of the conditions in the second T20I.

Pakistan Squads

Pakistan

Irfan Khan, Mohammad Haris, Khushdil Shah, Hasan Nawaz, Agha Salman, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Usman Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Mohammad Ali, Abdul Samad, Abbas Afridi, Omair Yousuf, Haris Rauf, Jahandad Khan. 

New Zealand vs Pakistan outfield report 

University Oval, Dunedin

The team batting first has won two of the three previous Twenty20 Internationals played at Dunedin’s University Oval. Therefore, if either team wins the toss, we anticipate that they will decide to bat first. Right now, Dunedin’s prediction appears to be quite dire. Any possible drying up will take a long time because of the forecast for constant rain and the temperature, which is only 12 degrees throughout the day.

When New Zealand last played Pakistan here, they hammered 224/7, demonstrating that this is a good batting pitch! To be competitive, the first batsman must score 185 or more.

New Zealand vs Pakistan Head-to-Head Stats of Last 5 Matches

In their last 5 matches, NZ won 3 and PAK won 2.

New Zealand vs Pakistan Prediction 

Cricket analysts predict that New Zealand has a 76% chance of winning. 

Disclaimer: This cricket prediction is based on the author’s insights and analysis. Readers should consider the points discussed and draw their own conclusions.