Christchurch: Glenn Phillips and Bevon Jacobs struck half-centuries to rescue New Zealand from an early collapse and guide the hosts to 180/5 in 20 overs in the second T20I of the five-match series against India at Hagley Oval on Saturday.
Put in to bat, New Zealand lost three wickets inside the powerplay as India’s bowlers made an early impact. Arshdeep Singh dismissed Tim Seifert for seven in the second over, before Bhuvneshwar Kumar removed Daryl Mitchell for six. Prince Yadav then sent Finn Allen back for 16 in the sixth over, leaving the hosts at 43/3.
Phillips and Jacobs steadied the innings, carefully rebuilding against India’s attack. New Zealand managed only 23 runs between the seventh and 10th overs to reach 63/3, but the pair gradually increased the scoring rate and took the total to 104/3 after 14 overs.
Phillips completed his half-century off 33 balls in the 16th over, while Jacobs reached the milestone in 40 deliveries in the following over. Their partnership crossed 100 runs as New Zealand moved to 145/3 after 17 overs.
Arshdeep broke the stand in the 18th over, dismissing Phillips for 70 off 43 balls, an innings featuring four fours and four sixes.
Jacobs continued to attack but fell to Nitish Reddy in the 19th over after hitting a six earlier in the over. He departed after scoring a half-century, while Michael Bracewell immediately added to the total with a six.
Prince Yadav conceded nine runs in the final over as New Zealand closed their innings at 180/5, setting India a target of 181.
Arshdeep was India’s leading wicket-taker with figures of 2/33 in four overs. Prince Yadav claimed one wicket for 30 runs, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar finished with 1/50 from his four overs.
India will need 181 runs to win the match and take a 2-0 lead in the series.
