Following Pakistan’s defeat to New Zealand in the third T20I, team captain Babar Azam commended the squad’s performance despite the setback. Addressing the post-match ceremony at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Babar highlighted Shadab Khan’s resilience in stabilizing the innings after Mohammad Rizwan’s injury. “Though we faced adversity with Rizwan’s injury, Shadab’s remarkable partnership with Irfan showcased our team’s strength. In Rawalpindi, a score of 180-190 is considered par, and I believe our batting performance was commendable,” Babar stated. Reflecting on the slow run-rate during the middle overs, he added, “While it may have impacted us slightly, we managed to catch up.
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We fell short by about 10 runs.” Despite Pakistan setting a target of 179 runs with the loss of four wickets, New Zealand clinched victory with a stellar performance from Mark Chapman, leading to a series tie of 1-1. The remaining two matches are set to take place on April 25 and 27 at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium. Earlier in the match, Pakistan’s opening pair, Saim Ayub and Babar, provided a solid start, with Saim contributing 32 runs before being caught by James Neesham. Babar, who scored 37 runs, was caught by Jacob Duffy off Michael Bracewell’s delivery. Mohammad Rizwan retired hurt after scoring 23 runs, with Irfan Khan stepping in. Despite a valiant effort from Shadab Khan and Irfan Khan, Pakistan fell short of victory, with Shadab scoring 41 runs off 20 balls and Irfan contributing 30 runs off 20 balls.
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