Twitter Reactions: Pakistan's resilience pays off with sole win over New Zealand in fifth T20I
Pakistan defeated New Zealand by 42 runs in the fifth T20I.
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Under the leadership of Babar Azam, Pakistan qualified for the finals of the T20 World Cup but lost to England in the finals in Melbourne. Some of the former cricketers were not happy with his leadership skills and continuously questioned him, which eventually resulted in him stepping down from the role. Shan Masood was named the new Test captain, while Shaheen Afridi was given the job to lead the team in T20Is.
Pakistan suffered a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Australia in the Test series, while suffered a 4-1 defeat at the hands of New Zealand. None of their plans worked against the hosts in the first four T20Is but finally, their bowling unit stepped up and got the job done in the fifth match as they defeated New Zealand by 42 runs at the Hagley Oval, in Christchurch.
Batting first, the visitors struggled against the quality bowling of New Zealand. Mohammad Rizwan made 38 runs off 38 runs, which has once again put him in the limelight for playing a slow knock, while Fakhar Zaman smacked 33 runs off 16 deliveries but couldn’t capitalize on his start. None of the other batters stepped up as Pakistan posted 134 runs in the first innings.
In return, New Zealand were bundled out for 92 runs. They missed the services of Daryl Mitchell, who was incredible in the previous match, smashing 72* runs off 44 deliveries. Kane Williamson and Devon Conway were the other notable absentees and that showed as they lacked composure in the middle.
Finn Allen and Glenn Phillips looked to be in good touch but Pakistan bowlers were too hot to handle. Iftikhar Ahmed picked up three wickets in the middle, while Afridi and Mohammad Nawaz picked up two wickets each. Iftikhar was eventually adjudged as Player of the Match but there are a lot of issues which still prevail and the team management needs to address them. The batting unit majorly depends on Babar and Rizwan and once they fail, the other batters fail to step up. Spin bowling looks sorted at the moment but the overall bowling unit looks pale, with many cricketers out of form.
Here's how fans reacted to the 5th T20I game between New Zealand and Pakistan:
Key breakthroughs in the chase ⚡️@IftiMania is the player of the match for his spell of 3️⃣-2️⃣4️⃣#NZvPAK | #BackTheBoysInGreen pic.twitter.com/W2XjzbXmmp
— shah zaman (@shahzam59176899) January 21, 2024
#NZvPAK
— Shamoeel Vlogs_official 🇵🇰 | محمد شموئیل (@VlogsShamoeel) January 21, 2024
At last our spinners knew their role in the team !!!!!
New Zealand 4-1 Pakistan 🏆
— Athena Smith (@AthenaSmit58035) January 21, 2024
Mitchell Santner leads his side to an emphatic series win 🌟 #NZvPAK pic.twitter.com/64j1LX0f5L
Thank you Zaka Ashraf..
— Hamza Ehsan 🇵🇰 (@theHamzaEhsan) January 21, 2024
First victory for team Pakistan.. 🇵🇰😎#NZvPAK #ZakaAshraf
A T20I series victory to start 2024 🏆 #NZvPAK #cricketnation #shaoibmalik pic.twitter.com/MtVfIJgUC2
— Al- Basit Vedehmer (@abdulbasit81462) January 21, 2024
Congratulations For your First Win
— Hammad Malik (@_Hamadms) January 21, 2024
Not a Good Series to Remember
But Wishing you best for future#BabarAzam𓃵 #ShaheenAfridi #PakistanCricketTeam #NZvPAK #NZvsPAK pic.twitter.com/Icni5b5Qlo
Congratulations 🎊👍 Pakistan on a massive Victory.#NZvsPAK #NZvPAK
— Subhan (@SubhanAmjad85) January 21, 2024
Well played 👍
— تنہالڑکا 🫀🙂 (@anas_qayam) January 21, 2024
Key breakthroughs in the chase ⚡️@IftiMania is the player of the match for his spell of 3️⃣-2️⃣4️⃣#NZvPAK | #BackTheBoysInGreen pic.twitter.com/r90BLEaNZq
Excellent Bowling by Nawaz and Iftikhar 8 Overs 42 Runs 5 Wickets 5.25 Economy #NZvPAK 4-1
— Shayan Rajput (@ShayanRajp71509) January 21, 2024
Preparing the team for the world cup till the world cup everyone will know who to play where when preparing the team some things happen they have to bear giving opportunity to the youth to give confidence in these conditions Playing is not easy۔ Captain Shaheen Afridi#NZvPAK
— Muhammad Usman (@usman_info121) January 21, 2024
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