NEW DELHI: After a humbling 3-0 ODI series defeat to New Zealand, Pakistan’s white-ball skipper Mohammad Rizwan reflected on the loss with a clear message: the past is behind us — now it’s time to look ahead to the Pakistan Super League (PSL).
“After Champions Trophy and this series, we’ll leave the past,” he said. “PSL is a big tournament for us in Pakistan, hopefully our nation will enjoy. Hopefully, we’ll do well in PSL.”
The series loss, capped off by a 43-run defeat at Mount Maunganui, exposed persistent issues in Pakistan’s batting unit.
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Despite flashes of form from Babar Azam, who notched up two fifties, and a spirited bowling performance from young spinner Sufiyan Muqeem, Pakistan struggled to compete with a well-drilled New Zealand side.
Naseem Shah also drew praise for his bowling and a fighting cameo with the bat, but the overall performance left much to be desired.
New Zealand’s domination was comprehensive.
Ben Sears was the standout performer, becoming the first New Zealander to take five wickets in back-to-back ODIs. His short-ball barrage dismantled Pakistan’s middle order in both Hamilton and Mount Maunganui.
Alongside him, Jacob Duffy and young batter Rhys Mariu made strong impressions, underlining the depth and adaptability of the Black Caps.
Pakistan, on the other hand, continued to falter against the moving ball, especially early in the innings.
As Rizwan acknowledged, “I give credit to New Zealand in all departments. They’ve been playing well. We know that these are difficult conditions for us here but they played in Pakistan really well. They played against us in Pakistan. There are professionals in all departments. We need to improve, that’s it.”
“In New Zealand, it’s very important to play well against the new ball. We’ll learn from here and fix it. If you lose, you can’t say like that (when asked if today was their best performance of the tour),” he added.
Despite the bleak outcome, Rizwan remained optimistic: “Individually we are good, but New Zealand won all the key moments.”
