Babar Azam opens – Babar Azam, after the match, thanked the bowlers for coming back and limiting New Zealand to 178 after a good start by the batsmen. Team Pakistan failed to chase down 179 during the thriller final match at Lahore’s iconic Gaddafi Stadium.
However, he blamed the batting collapse for the team’s failure to chase the target.
“I think we restricted their bowling very well. We expected 190-200 but the players fulfilled their plans. It was chaseable but we had a batting collapse when we lost three wickets in the powerplay,” Babar Azam said.
“When you lose consecutive wickets, you need a few overs to catch up, but we went off the rails in that period.”
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He then appreciated left-handed batsman Fakhar Zaman for his impressive knock of 61 runs off 45 balls, which included four boundaries and three sixes.
“Fakhar Zaman played an exceptional innings. We wanted to pursue it with positive intentions but we couldn’t do it,” Babar added. The right-handed batsman also acknowledged the challenge of forced overs due to injuries to key players during the series.
He also shared that the team wanted to try different combinations during the series and expressed optimism about the team’s preparation for the T20 World Cup.
“There were some changes due to injuries but the young people made a great effort. We planned to give a proper opportunity to (test our) bench strength and try different combinations. Hopefully, we will have the team ready when the World Cup arrives,” he concluded.Babar Azam opens
Shadab Khan back:
The five-match final of the T20I series against New Zealand will be played today between Pakistan and New Zealand here at the Gadaffi Stadium. Speaking informally to Business Recorder in the lobby of a local hotel where both teams are staying, Shadab Khan said the boys had worked hard and expressed hope of winning the final T20 match on Saturday.Babar Azam opens
The five-match T20i series is 2-1 in favor of New Zealand, while the first match was swept. Goalkeeper Mohammad Rizwan, who along with Babar is one of the key cogs in Pakistan’s top order, is not included in the squad due to a hamstring injury he sustained when the teams met in Rawalpindi.
“Injuries are part and parcel of the game,” captain Babar Azam said, adding: “But when you lose a top-class player like Rizwan, of course the team will miss him. Everyone has seen the way he has served Pakistan with his performances. Fortunately, Rizwan’s injury is not that serious and he is being rested to fully recover as we have more series to play before the T20 World Cup [in June].Babar Azam opens