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Pakistan skipper Babar Azam said that they did well with the bat against New Zealand in the 3rd T20I match of the five-game series at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. The hosts conceded a 7-wicket loss against New Zealand on Sunday.
Babar played a 37-run knock from 29 balls against the Kiwis in the first inning of the match. He slammed 4 fours and 1 six during his time on the crease. While speaking at the post-match presentation, Babar accepted that Mohammad Rizwan's injury in the first inning was a setback for them. Rizwan scored 22 runs from 21 balls till he was retired hurt after suffering an injury. He added that Shadab Khan and Irfan Khan's partnership helped the 'Men in Green' to recover well in the game. "We did well with the bat. I don't think it [the slowdown] made much of a difference because we had caught up in the end. You can say we were ten runs short. Unfortunately, we had a bit of a setback with [Mohammad] Rizwan's injury because it wasn't easy for new batters. But Shadab recovered well and had an outstanding partnership with Irfan [Khan]. In Pindi, 180-190 is a par score," Babar was quoted by ESPNcricinfo as saying. Recapping the match, after winning the toss, the Kiwis decided to field first against the hosts and their decision did go in their favour in the game. Saim Ayub (32) and skipper Babar Azam (37) opened for the Men in Green with a 55-run partnership. Shadab Khan (41) was the only standout batter for the hosts as he smashed 4 fours and 2 overhead boundaries during his time on the crease. Apart from Shadab, Irfan Khan (30) tried his best as well and powered Pakistan to a total of 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 as Afridi and Shah were the only wicket takers of the match. Currently, the five-match series stands at 1-1 after both Pakistan and New Zealand managed to win just one game. (ANI)
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