Pakistan defeated New Zealand in the fifth and final T20I of the series and grabbed a consolation victory against the BlackCaps who clinched the series 4-1 against the Men in Green.
Iftikhar Ahmed was the Player of the Match and surprisingly he was the start with the ball rather than his usual prowess with the bat. Iftikhar Ahmed is a batting all-rounder but this time he was the star performer with the ball in hand.
Pakistan were first to bat at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch and crippled their way to 134/8 in the 20 overs. New Zealand, chasing what was supposed to be an easy target of 135, got bundled for just 92 and Pakistan won the match by 42 runs.
This was the first win for Pakistan since their win against New Zealand in the ICC ODI World Cup 2023. They lost the series by a huge margin but ended on a positive note. This was the first win for Shaheen Shah Afridi as the captain of the Pakistan national cricket team.
Iftikhar Ahmed took a figure of 4-0-24-3 and helped Pakistan to win their first match of the year. He was out for just five runs in the Pakistan innings but handled the ball pretty well to take three wickets against New Zealand.
After the match, he said that it was pre-decided that he would bowl today and he came out to bowl and bowled according to the conditions. He expressed his desire of bowling in the future if the captain wants him to play that role.
“It was decided that I would come on to bowl today and I tried to bowl according to the conditions in the pitch. I would like to bowl more if the captain wants me to,” he said after the match. Iftikhar Ahmed has been one of the permanent members of the T20 side and before this match, he was not in the best of his forms. He had a silent tour with the bat scoring only 44 runs in five innings at a meagre average of 8.80.
Iftikhar Ahmed Recorded His Best Figures In T20Is
“It was decided that I would come on to bowl today and I tried to bowl according to the conditions in the pitch. I would like to bowl more if the captain wants me to” – Iftikhar Ahmed
Why did Iftikhar not bowl any overs before? 😞 #NZvsPAK pic.twitter.com/onLhjHy318
— Farid Khan (@_FaridKhan) January 21, 2024
Iftikhar Ahmed’s 3/24 is his personal best in the shortest format for Pakistan. The batting all-rounder has played 54 T20Is and has taken just seven wickets and with the bat he has scored 858 runs in 46 innings at an average of 25.23 and a strike rate of 129.02. He has smashed four half-centuries in the shortest format for Pakistan and has a best score of 62*.
Pakistan players will now have a big international break as they will play in the Pakistan Super League which is set to begin on February 17. The Men in Green will tour England for a four-match T20I series ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024.
