'We shouldn't make excuses' - Mohammad Rizwan reacts to Pakistan's loss against New Zealand in 2nd ODI

Mohammad Rizwan spoke with the media in the post-match conference after Pakistan lost to New Zealand in the second ODI by 84 runs to go down 0-2 in the series. The Pakistani skipper accepted the fact that his side was outplayed by the home side in all facets of the game. Rizwan praised the resilience of Faheem Ashraf and Naseem Shah with the bat.

The star player felt the conditions were challenging to bat for an Asian side due to the high bounce and pace of the surface. However, he accepted that the players had no room to make excuses and felt the need to apply themselves. 

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"It is sore, but it's a part of the game. We didn’t do well as a batting group…didn’t utilize the swing…Faheem Ashraf and Naseem Shah fought really well. It was a slightly challenging condition; the pace and bounce, different from Asian conditions, but we shouldn’t make excuses as professional cricketers and apply ourselves," said the Pakistani captain. 

'We don’t know much about the pitch in Tauranga' - Mohammad Rizwan on the playing conditions in the third ODI

He praised the Kiwi bowlers for hitting the hard lengths and felt Pakistan lost key moments in the series. "New Zealand cricketers were disciplined and hit the hard lengths consistently. We are losing in key moments in the last couple of months. Credit to Mitch Hay, the way he batted was amazing," Rizwan added.

When asked about the third match of the series, the WK batter claimed that he wasn't aware of the conditions. "We don’t know much about the pitch in Tauranga. We will look at the conditions and do what the conditions demand from us (for the next game)," Rizwan added.

Batting first, NZ posted 292/8 on the board, in conditions that weren't easy to bat on. New Zealand was reduced to 132/5 after 26.3 overs and made a massive recovery, thanks to Mitchell Hay's 99*(78). Pakistan was reduced to 114/8 and was about to face an embarrassing loss. However, Faheem and Naseem ensured the losing margin was reduced to 84 runs.