Pakistan continued their winning momentum as they beat depleted New Zealand in the second T20 international at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium on Saturday.

The home side, which opted to bat after winning the toss, pounced the tourists right from the start with a 99-run partnership between the opening pair.

Babar Azam remained not for 101, leading his side to put a heavy total of 192 runs on the board. He hit 14 boundaries, including 11 fours and three sixes. The skipper was well supported by his partner Mohammad Rizwan, who made a half-century.

Though the Green Shirts lost three quick wickets after Rizwan’s scalp, all-rounder Iftikhar Ahmed played a cameo of 33 runs to make sure they put in a matching winning total to maintain the lead in the five-match series.

New Zealand utilised the power play to ensure they get the perfect start, however, it did not last long as the Black Caps lost skipper Tom Latham in the next over when all-rounder Shadab Khan got him lbw out.

Mark Chapman was the saviour for the visitors in this unsuccessful chase. He scored 65 off 40 balls. They managed to score 154 runs in the 20 overs.

Right-arm fast bowler picked up four wickets in his four overs spell, continuing his performance from the first match.

Pakistan won the first match by 88 runs in Lahore on Friday to start the five-match series. They kept the same winning combination.

Imad Wasim, Zaman Khan, and Shadab Khan picked up one wicket each.

New Zealand, missing several top players who are involved in the Indian Premier League, brought in batter Cole McConchie and all-rounder Henry Shipley. They replaced Adam Milne and Ish Sodhi from the first match.

“I am really happy to perform and end up on the winning side,” said Babar Azam at the presentation ceremony. He was crowned as the player of the match for his knock. The skipper hit the boundary for four to reach his hundred on the last ball of the innings.

He stands now second, with nine centuries in T20 cricket, after West Indian Chris Gayle who holds the record for 22 centuries.

“I am trying to play throughout the innings and look to accelerate towards the end,” Azam said, adding that building partnership was important. The captain praised his bowling unit for the result.

Latham said that his side lost their way around the 14th over when Rauf claimed Daryl Mitchell and James Neesham wickets.

He praised Azam for his “brilliant innings”. Latham was of the view that his team gave too many runs in the last four overs of the game.

“This will be a learning curve for my team which we will improve for sure,” he added.

Latham stressed the need for having a significant partnership while chasing a score over 190. “The team is not far behind from victory as we have lost the games with fine margins in crucial moments and we will come back stronger,” he said.

Teams

Pakistan: Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Rizwan, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Zaman Khan

New Zealand: Tom Latham (captain), Chad Bowes, Mark Chapman, Matt Henry, Ben Lister, Cole McConchie, Henry Shipley, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Rachin Ravindra, Will Young