After an impressive win in the first T20 on Friday, Pakistan cricket fans received a jolt of reality when New Zealand openers Martin Guptill and Kane Williamson frustrated Shahid Afridi and company with a record-breaking partnership in the second match.

The gargantuan performance by New Zealand on Sunday was inevitable.

The Kiwis found the right balance in the side just before the World Cup in 2015 and the runners-up of the tournament have not tinkered too much with their squad since then.

In contrast, Pakistan have been struggling in the limited-over format for the last couple of seasons and have failed to find the right team combination.

After Pakistan won the first T20 by 16 runs, a strong backlash from New Zealand was expected. Here are the five talking points from the 2nd T20, a game which Pakistan would want to forget fast.

Martin Guptill – The giant wakes up

Guptill was run out for just two in the first match after a big mix up with opening partner Kane Williamson.

Many felt he was deprived of a chance to show off the form he has been carrying since the Sri Lanka series. But not many had expected the tall right-handed batsman to go off in the way he did.

The explosive right-hander hit 87 off just 58 in the second T20, proving the value he provides for the Kiwis at the top of the batting order and that his early dismissal in the first T20 was a jackpot for Afridi’s Pakistan.

There was no apparent weakness in the 29-year-old's armoury and Pakistan did not appear to have the weapons either.

Williamson and the art of aggression

Kane Williamson did not need power to throw the Pakistani bowlers off and dispatch them all around Seddon Park. The Black Caps skipper instead opted for style to drive his aggression with.

A beautifully constructed innings of 72 of 48 balls contained classic shots, right from the coaching manual.

The sound technique and the rapid rate of scoring are a contradiction that make Williamson so, so special.

Pakistan will have to come up with the right strategy to stop the 25-year-old from causing more damage.

Williamson and Guptill were like a train in their 171-run partnership and Pakistan will need to analyse quickly how in the world they can stop it.

Amir needs more time

Mohammad Amir’s comeback, finally, after a five-year ban was welcomed by Pakistan's masses, as well as most of the country’s cricket fraternity.

The left-armer’s re-inclusion into the side also equipped Pakistan’s bowling line with an express pacer who also extracts movement off the pitch.

However, the Pakistan supporters should realise that Amir will take more time to adapt to the requirements of the international level again.

Amir’s three over quota on Sunday was disappointing as the bowler failed to find his line and length, conceding more runs than any other Pakistan bowler.

Afridi will also need to understand that it may not be a great idea giving Amir and Umar Gul, who are considered rhythm bowlers, one over spells.

Maqsood — the weak link

After openers Mohammad Hafeez and Ahmed Shehzad departed early and before Shoaib Malik and Umar Akmal put up a 63 runs partnership to help Pakistan post a decent total — there was an awkward deceleration in the run flow.

In this five over period (6th to 11th over) Pakistan managed to score just 33 runs courtesy Sohaib Maqsood’s inability to find gaps or the middle of his bat.

The right-hander scored just 18, but more importantly suffocated runs for the 31 minutes he occupied the crease.

With options like Saad Nasim, Mohammad Rizwan and Anwar Ali available in the squad, it’s high time for Pakistan to drop the out of form Maqsood to avoid a series loss.

When Afridi performs, Pakistan performs

All pumped up emotionally and desperate to lead Pakistan to success at the upcoming World T20, Shahid Afridi needs to do better — especially with the ball.

In the World T20 success in 2009, Afridi was considered as a wicket-taking option by Younis Khan while Saeed Ajmal blocked the opponents flow of runs from the other end.

It’s a different story when we talk about the present.

The T20 skipper is struggling to put enough strength behind his deliveries and gave away 38 runs in his four overs in the second T20 — and also got hit for two sixes.

His man of the match performance in the first game came after Guptill was dismissed and Williamson struggled to find partners who could take the pressure off him.

When Imad Wasim and Shoaib Malik fail, Afridi will have to be the spinner who delivers for the team because his performance is often the difference between a deflated Pakistan and one that produces magic.