In the third T20I between Pakistan and New Zealand, Pakistan’s approach to T20 cricket came under scrutiny once again. After posting a competitive total of 178, Pakistan ended up losing to New Zealand, who chased down the target with relative ease. The match highlighted a familiar issue for Pakistan: the lack of impactful innings in crucial moments.
At the post-match presentation, Pakistan captain Babar Azam defended his team’s batting performance, stating that they had done well and were just ten runs short of a par score. He attributed the slight shortfall to Mohammad Rizwan‘s injury, which disrupted their batting order. Despite a strong start, Pakistan’s middle-order struggled to accelerate, scoring just 59 runs in the middle overs.
One of the key issues for Pakistan was the inability to rotate the strike and find boundaries consistently during the middle overs. This allowed New Zealand to apply pressure and restrict Pakistan’s scoring rate. Babar’s dismissal in the 11th over and Rizwan’s injury further compounded Pakistan’s problems, leaving them with a challenging task in the latter part of the innings.
Shadab the Saviour
However, Shadab Khan‘s quick-fire 41 off 20 balls in the lower order provided some late impetus to Pakistan’s innings. Shadab’s innings highlighted the importance of playing impactful innings in T20 cricket, especially in the later stages of the match. His aggressive approach and ability to find boundaries were crucial in helping Pakistan reach a competitive total.
Despite Shadab’s efforts, Pakistan fell short in their defense as New Zealand’s Mark Chapman played a match-winning innings, scoring an unbeaten 87 off 42 balls. Chapman’s innings showcased the importance of individual brilliance in T20 cricket, as one player can change the course of the game with a standout performance.
Pakistan’s head coach, Azhar Mahmood, acknowledged that Pakistan were 15 to 20 runs short of a competitive total. He emphasized the need for improvement in the middle overs, where Pakistan’s run rate slowed down. Mahmood praised Chapman’s innings and highlighted the impact of one player standing up and taking the game away from the opposition in T20 cricket.
The match highlighted Pakistan’s need for more consistency and aggression in their batting approach, especially during the middle overs. While they have the talent and potential to post competitive totals, they need to work on their ability to accelerate and play impactful innings in crucial moments to compete effectively in T20 cricket.
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