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Following his side's seven-wicket loss to New Zealand in the third T20I match in Rawalpindi, Pakistan head coach Azhar Mahmood said that the Men in Green were "15 to 20 runs short" in the game.
Speaking after the match held on Sunday, Mahmood said that they started very well in the game with 54 runs on the scoreboard in the first six overs and Shadab Khan's 41-run knock inning was "excellent". "We were 15 to 20 runs short. We started very well, our score in the first six overs was 54, which is very good. In the end, Shadab's innings was excellent. In the middle period, we were slow. Between overs seven to ten, and then 11 to 15, the ball was gripping and we slowed down," Mahmood was quoted by ESPNcricinfo as saying. He added that they have to "learn" from the loss and improve in the upcoming matches. "These are the things we have to learn to improve. But you have to pay credit to the way Chapman played. In T20 cricket, if one man stands up, he can take the game away from you," he added. Recapping the match, after winning the toss, the Kiwis decided to field first against the hosts and their decision appeared not to go in their favour. Saim Ayub (32) and skipper Babar Azam (37) opened for the Men in Green with a 55-run partnership. Shadab Khan (41) smashed four boundaries and two sixes during his time on the crease. Apart from Shadab, Irfan Khan (30) tried his best and powered Pakistan to 178/4. Ish Sodhi led the Kiwi bowling attack, picking up two wickets in his four-over spell and gave just 25 runs. Bracewell and Jacob Duffy also took one wicket each in their respective spells. During the run chase, Dean Foxcroft (31) and Mark Chapman (87) played a 117-run partnership to help New Zealand clinch a 7-wicket win in Rawalpindi. Pakistan displayed a sloppy bowling performance in the match. Afridi and Shah were the only wicket takers of the match. Currently, the five-match series stands at 1-1 with Pakistan and New Zealand having won a match each. (ANI)
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