Soon after Pakistan’s underwhelming performance in the Champions Trophy, the Pakistan cricket team finds itself under scrutiny again following their loss against New Zealand in the first T20I, right after their Champions Trophy disappointment. In the first T20I of the three-match series, New Zealand chose to bowl first at Hagley Oval in Christchurch. New Zealand dominated Pakistan, bowling them all out for 91 runs in 18.4 overs. In reply, New Zealand easily chased the target in 11 overs, winning the match by 9 wickets easily. Check the Pakistan vs new Zealand 1st T20I scorecard here.
Absence of Babar and Rizwan
In this series, several key Pakistani players like Haris Rauf, Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam, and Shaheen Afridi are not playing. Salman Ali Agha is leading the side, and senior player Shadab Khan, who has been out of the team for a long time, has returned for this series.
Pakistan’s top order stumbles Against New Zealand’s pace attack
Batting first, Pakistan’s openers struggled against the aggressive pace attack of New Zealand. Mohammad Haris, the wicketkeeper, and Hasan Nawaz, both opening the innings, departed without scoring. By the end of the 5th over, Pakistan had lost 4 wickets. However, Khushdil Shah and Salman Ali Agha stabilised the innings, taking the score to 57/5 in 11.1 overs. Shah was the top scorer with 32 runs off 30 balls.
Chasing the small target was a child’s play for the New Zealand team. Shepard started the inning strongly, blasting 44 runs off just 24 balls before getting out. Finn Allen and Tim Robinson remained not out at 27 runs and 18 runs, respectively, chasing the target with ease.
Pakistan’s recent humiliation in the Champions Trophy
After hosting the ICC Champions Trophy, Pakistan was humiliated at home by not winning any matches in the tournament. They played their first match against New Zealand, losing by 60 runs, and then were defeated by India in Dubai in their second match. They were one of the early teams to be ruled out of the equation for the semi-finals, leading to an early exit from the tournament. Their third match against Bangladesh was abandoned without a ball being bowled due to rain.
After this tournament, Pakistan faced a lot of backlash from management and fans, who are continuously calling for reforms in Pakistan cricket. They hoped to improve their image by winning the series against New Zealand, but after this humiliation, it seems like the trouble deepens for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and their future prospects.
