Pakistan’s captain and star fast bowler, Shaheen Shah Afridi, responded to his team’s 45-run loss against the Kiwis on Wednesday, their second straight loss in the series.
In a five-game series, the Shaheens have already dropped three straight games as the Kiwis have taken an insurmountable advantage.
This was Shaheen’s first-ever T20I series as captain, and the media has heavily criticised and scrutinised him for his choices as captain throughout the pivotal T20I series.
His choice to bowl first in the third match has come under fire and sparked many concerns after New Zealand amassed an unbeatable first-inning total of 224 for 7.
Following the 3rd T20I loss, the Pakistani captain explained their decision to bowl first in that pivotal match. He said that they thought chasing would be simpler because of the ground’s past and that the squad and team management decided together to bowl first.
Sadly, as a bowling team, we fell short in the powerplay and have struggled to bowl well in these three games. But if we are to consider the major events that lie ahead, we must give this squad some time.
Finn Allen destroyed Pakistan’s bowling attack in the opening inning, hitting 137 runs in 62 deliveries for a dominant century that helped New Zealand set the tone for their 224-run total. He hit the greatest individual score for the Kiwis in T20 internationals with 16 massive sixes.
Allen was furious with Haris Rauf because he was hit all over the pitch and gave up 60 runs in 4 overs. Shaheen and Nawaz both gave up more than 40 runs in each of their bowling sessions.
Babar’s third fifty of this series was insufficient to even come close to Pakistan reaching the impossible goal. After a strong start that saw them reach 95-2 in the first 11 overs, the Green Shirts faced another collapse in the middle order as they lost four wickets for 39 runs.
In the second inning, Nawaz was the only player to cheer Babar on, as he hit 28 off just 15 balls.
On Friday, January 19, Pakistan will now play New Zealand in the fourth Twenty20 International in the five-match series.
