New Zealand, confident after their opening win, chose to bat first — but early trouble struck. Seifert was run out in the first over, Conway fell to Jamal, and Rachin Ravindra’s cameo ended via Shaheen Afridi. At 26/3 inside 3 overs, Pakistan were in full control.

Then came the storm. Glenn Phillips and Mark Chapman counterattacked ferociously, blasting boundaries at will. Shadab Khan broke the stand with his first ball, removing Phillips — but Chapman was only getting started.

From 30 off 14, Chapman shifted gears, smashing his fifty in just 18 balls with a towering six. He didn’t stop there, finishing unbeaten on 78 off 26 balls at a strike rate of 300 — pure carnage. New Zealand posted 153/4, the highest score of the series so far.

Pakistan’s chase quickly unraveled. Southee struck first ball, removing Saim Ayub LBW. Ferguson followed with a blistering spell — bowling Babar Azam first delivery, then Azam Khan next ball. Two golden ducks in two matches! Pakistan were reduced to 11/3 and never recovered.

Rizwan, Shadab, and Jamal all fell cheaply, while Fakhar Zaman fought briefly before Daryl Mitchell ended his resistance. Pakistan eventually limped to 83/9, their lowest total of the series, suffering a 78-run defeat — their heaviest so far.

For New Zealand, it was the perfect performance. Chapman’s fireworks (78 off 26)* and Ferguson’s thunder (3/16) sealed a commanding win and a 2-0 series lead. To top it off, Chapman’s blitz propelled him to No.1 in the batsmen’s rankings.