Australia beat New Zealand by 72 runs to win 2nd T20I and take unassailable 2-0 lead in three-match series

The Australia cricket team won the second T20I game against New Zealand and also sealed the series by 2-0 on February 23 at Eden Park in Auckland. New Zealand’s stand-in skipper Mitchell Santner won the toss and invited visiting sides to bat first. Notably, after being sent to bat first, Australia posted 174 runs before getting an all-out in the game.

Australia had a decent start to the game as star opening batter Travis Head hammered 45 runs from 22 balls, featuring two boundaries and five sixes, while Steve Smith and Mitchell Marsh scored 11 and 26 runs, respectively. However, star pacer Pat Cummins made 28 runs in the last to help his side post a decent total.

However, during the chase, New Zealand had an awful start as opening batters Finn Allen, Will Young, and Mitchell Santner departed quickly after scoring runs in single digits. Star batter Glenn Phillips tried hard in the end to chase down the total, but they were all bundled out for just 102 runs and handed 72 runs of victories to Australia.

Not too much different but it’s a nice little change: Pat Cummins

Meanwhile, Australia star Pat Cummins was the star of the game, having opened up about his tactics and skills in the game. The right-arm pacer expressed his happiness after they triumphed over the strong home team to boost their preparation for the T20 World Cup 2024.

“Always enjoyed batting especially in this format, give it a bit of a swing and few came off the edges and flew to the boundary but I will take it. I do most of the time, especially here when you are looking for sixes and fours and feels like you have got a bit more of a license. I love it. Go and hide on the boundary, haven’t fielded on the boundary for a while, just concentrate on bowling and nothing else. Not too much different but it’s a nice little change,” Pat Cummins said after the win.