Babar Azam, Pakistan’s captain, reflected on the team’s defeat against New Zealand in the third T20I on Sunday, attributing the loss to their inability to achieve a competitive total for defense.
“At the post-match ceremony, Babar remarked, “I don’t believe the slow run-rate in the middle overs made a significant impact as we caught up. We could say we were 10 runs short.”
“Regrettably, Rizwan’s injury set us back as it posed a challenge for the incoming batsmen. However, I commend Shadab Khan for his recovery and the exceptional partnership with Irfan. In Rawalpindi, a score of 180-190 is considered par. I believe our batting performance was commendable,” Babar added.
His comments follow Pakistan’s posting of a 179-run target, losing four wickets while batting first at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. Despite this, New Zealand staged a remarkable comeback in the five-match T20I series, led by Mark Chapman, guiding the visitors to a seven-wicket victory in the third match at the Pindi Cricket Stadium.
New Zealand’s impressive start to the chase of 179, with openers Tim Robinson (28) and Tim Seifert (21) putting up 42 runs for the first wicket, set the tone. Although the home side attempted a recovery with consecutive dismissals by Naseem Shah and Abbas Afridi, Chapman, alongside Dean Foxcroft, thwarted their efforts.
With the series now leveled at 1-1, the remaining two matches are scheduled to take place on April 25 and 27 at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium.
Earlier in Pakistan’s innings, the opening partnership between Saim Ayub and Babar yielded 54/0. Saim’s innings concluded when he was caught by James Neesham off Ish Sodhi’s bowling after scoring 32 runs from 22 balls at a strike rate of 145.45.
Babar’s departure came after a promising innings, caught by Jacob Duffy off Michael Bracewell’s delivery, contributing 37 runs off 29 deliveries at a strike rate of 127.5.
Mohammad Rizwan retired hurt after scoring 23 runs from 22 balls, with Irfan Khan taking his place.
Usman Khan’s departure after scoring only 4 runs from 6 balls added to Pakistan’s woes.
Irfan, partnering with all-rounder Shadab, formed an explosive partnership, with Shadab dominating the proceedings, scoring 41 runs off 20 balls with six boundaries in a 62-run partnership. Meanwhile, Irfan contributed a 20-ball 30, including three fours and a six.
