Ramiz Raja explains the reason behind Pakistan’s poor performance

New Zealand have taken a 2-0 lead in the five-match series against Pakistan. A Kane Williamson century in the first match took the Black Caps to 315 in their 50 overs. Pakistan were going nowhere as they lost the first two wickets in the first over itself.

The match was curtailed due to rain and they lost the game by 61 runs. In the second ODI, the batsmen failed again as Shadab Khan and Hasan Ali took them to a respectable total of 246. Rain took centre stage again but New Zealand breezed past the target with 8 wickets in hand.

Short ball issues

The Asian players are generally considered vulnerable against the short ball. Thus, other teams apply the short ball strategy to make the batsmen uncomfortable. Ramiz Raja also feels that the Kiwi fielding was the bonus point for the hosts which added the pressure on the Pakistani batting.

He tweeted, “So NZ squeezed the breath out of Pak batting by executing a bouncer strategy mixed with great fielding and garnishing the act with spin sprinkling!! Too much on the plate for Pakistan to digest..”

So NZ squeezed the breath out of Pak batting by executing a bouncer strategy mixed with great fielding and garnishing the act with spin sprinkling!! Too much on the plate for Pakistan to digest..

— Ramiz Raja (@iramizraja) January 9, 2018

The New Zealand team is one of the most improved teams in the modern day cricket. To counter them in their own backyard, teams must be at their best. Players like Martin Guptill and Trent Boult can single-handedly tear apart the opposition in no time. The Pakistani top order must not lose its wickets cheaply. A score below 250 is surely not going to trouble the Black Caps. If either of Guptil or Colin Munro stays in the middle for 15-20 overs, one can say that New Zealand is on top.

Pakistan must regroup and come up with strategies to build up on their score and take early wickets. The 3rd ODI is in Dunedin on the 13th of January before which they must correct their mistakes. They must be well equipped to negate the ‘bouncer strategy’ to have a chance against the ruthless Black Caps. The team must also play their heart out to ensure that they do not concede the series inside three matches itself.