March 18, 2025: New Zealand secured a five-wicket victory over Pakistan in the second T20I of the five-match series at Dunedin on Tuesday. The win not only gave them a 2-0 lead in the series but also saw Ish Sodhi achieve a significant milestone in his career.
Sodhi’s two wickets in the match took his career total to 264 wickets, surpassing former Kiwi fast bowler Ewen John Chatfield, who had 263 wickets. With this, Sodhi became the tenth-highest wicket-taker for New Zealand across all formats. Over the course of his 12-year career, Sodhi has played 196 matches, with a best bowling performance of 6/39, along with two five-wicket hauls. His career bowling average stands at 30.71 with an economy rate of 5.37.
Ish Sodhi, an Indian-origin leg-spinner who moved to Auckland with his parents, made his international debut in 2013 against Bangladesh in Tests. While he has been in and out of the team, he has been a constant presence in New Zealand’s T20 side, where he is currently the second-highest wicket-taker for NZ, behind Tim Southee. With 142 wickets in T20Is, he has an average of 22.94 and an economy of 7.97 in the format.
In the rain-affected second T20I, New Zealand won the toss and opted to bowl first. Pakistan’s top order struggled again, with only Salman Agha providing resistance, scoring 46 runs. Shadab Khan (26) and Shaheen Afridi (22*) contributed some useful runs towards the end, but Pakistan was restricted to 135/9 in their 15 overs.
Ben Sears was the pick of the bowlers for New Zealand, picking up 2 wickets for just 23 runs in his three overs.
Chasing 136 runs, New Zealand’s openers Tim Seifert and Finn Allen unleashed an onslaught early on. Allen hit Mohammed Ali for three sixes in the second over, while Seifert followed suit by hitting Shaheen Afridi for four sixes in the next over. Both openers played aggressive cricket, but after their dismissals, New Zealand lost wickets quickly. However, Daryl Mitchell (14) and Mitchell Hay (21) held their nerve to take the Kiwis across the line with 11 balls and five wickets to spare.
Haris Rauf was the standout bowler for Pakistan, taking 3 wickets for 20 runs.
Seifert, who played a crucial knock, was named the Player of the Tournament for his contribution.
New Zealand now leads the series 2-0, with three more matches to go in the series.