New Zealand vs Pakistan, 2nd ODI at Hamilton, NZ vs PAK, Apr 02 2025 - Match Result

Right then that brings an end to our coverage for this ODI. Do join us for the third and final ODI on Saturday but for now, this is me (Rvel Zahid), signing off on behalf of Rashad Mahbub, K Vairavan and everyone else at ESPNcricinfo! Goodbye and take care!

Mitchell Hay, Player of the Match: Scoring a century didn't cross my mind...was just swinging for the hills and hoping really. we talked about taking game deep , it was really nice to form a partnership (with Abbas). Bowlers were awesome tonight and made job easy for me

Mohammad Rizwan, Pakistan Captain: (On his shoulder bruise) It is sore but it part of the game. We didn't do well as a batting group...didn't utilize the swing...Faheem Ashraf and Naseem Shah fought really well. It's little bit challenging conditions; the pace and bounce, different from Asian conditions but we shouldn't make excuses as professional cricketers and apply ourselves. New Zealand cricketers are disciplined and hit the hard lengths consistently. We are losing in key moments in last couple of months. Credit to Mitch Hay, the way he batted was amazing. We don't know much about the pitch in Tauranga. We will look at the conditions and do what the conditions demand from us (for the next game)

Michael Bracewell, New Zealand Captain:: Just the way we fought through the innings, lost few wickets in the middle, but the way we built partnerships was brilliant. Mitchell Hay played an outstanding innings. Partnership helped us get to a competitive total. It is a testament to the team, we just allow them to express themselves. There is no secret for what allows the new players to come in and perform straightaway. I said a number of times, our domestic game is in a really strong position. Even though not all of us have international experience, they put up strong performance. It has been a great summer and we have played some great cricket. For us it's just about doing the simple things and will look to finish on a high. (Sears) had a lot of injuries throughout his career. He's done exceptionally...put in a lot of work off the field to get himself ready. Glad to see him get the rewards for his hard work today.

New Zealand juggernaut keeps rolling and they consistently find ways to recover from tricky situations and then dominate, navigating through obstacles and winning from any situation. In contrast, Pakistan was not able to put together a concerted and consistent effort with the ball tonight, leaking far too many runs on a tacky pitch that offered plenty of help to seamers, in particular. Mitchell Hay played a sensational knock, and once again, brilliant game awareness by the middle order took them out of a precarious situation. It was yet another fine example of how to approach ODI cricket. Pakistan let things slip out of their control and the batting was abject as the top-order collapsed, unable to weather the storm from the quicks. Late resistance from Faheem Ashraf and the concussion substitute, for Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah prolonged the game and offered some valiant resistance and entertainment for the fans but it was always going to be a stiff task chasing the imposing target with not many wickets left in the tank. Pakistan continue to find themselves in a rut and will be desperate for a win in the last ODI while New Zealand will be keen to keep their record unblemished and sign off their summer on a high

Vishwesh Gaur: "DYK: Naseem Shah scored 50 runs batting 11th for Pakistan in an ODI, the first time in almost 9 years Mohammad Amir last did it in 2016 against England."

Arquam: "Naseem isn't a like-for-like replacement for Haris Rauf. :-)"

Thanks Rashad. Another issue for Pakistan has been the constant changes in personnel and squad members, which may have prevented the team from gelling, bonding and becoming a cohesive unit. Individuals might be more focused on cementing their spots, which can lead to a lack of a unified strategy. A sense of insecurity might creep in, especially if one isn't guaranteed a fair and long stint. Also, with frequent changes in the coaching staff and captaincy, I would imagine it's naturally challenging to find consistency