Pakistan faces another defeat against New Zealand in the ongoing five-match T20I series between the two nations. New Zealand is leading the series by 4-0 and Pakistan is yet to win a match in 2024 having already played seven games in the year. Mohammad Rizwan was the top performer for Pakistan smashing 90 off 63 balls. Mohammad Rizwan takes a dig at Umar Gul after the fast bowlers failed to perform in the series as Pakistan faces another shambolic defeat against the BlackCaps.
Pakistan posted a total of 158/5 while batting first in the fourth T20I as Mohammad Rizwan starred with the bat scoring more than half of he runs of the team’s total. He smashed 90 off 63 balls, hitting six fours and two sixes in his innings. He was supported by Mohammad Nawaz in the end who scored 21 off just nine deliveries to take the total past 150.
New Zealand had a drastic start as Shaheen Shah Afridi took three quick wickets reducing the Kiwis to 20/3 but then Glenn Phillips and Daryl Mitchell paired up to take the game away from Pakistan as both were unbeaten in their 139-run partnership for the fourth wicket. Mohammad Rizwan talked about the poor performance of the fast bowlers in the post-match press conference and said that it is a big question mark for Umar Gul who is the bowling coach of Pakistan.
“Our Bowlers are not getting wickets and this is a big question mark. Ask Umar Gul to tell you. Shaheen Afridi took wickets in the powerplay but again got no wickets in the middle overs. That is why you guys think that our fast bowling is being exposed,” Rizwan said. Apart from Shaheen Shah Afridi, no bowler got a wicket from Pakistan in the fourth T20I.
Mohammad Rizwan Blames Fast Bowlers For The Defeat
“Humaray bowlers ke pas wickets nahin aa rahin, yeh sawaliya nishaan hay. Umar Gul se pooch lena wo btayenge aapko. Shaheen Afridi ne powerplay mein wickets li lekin middle-overs mein phir out nahin huwe. Aap sab ko isi liye lag raha hay ke fast bowling expose ho rahi humari” -… pic.twitter.com/oALDI0fCcr
— Farid Khan (@_FaridKhan) January 19, 2024
Mohammad Rizwan is the vice-captain of the Pakistan team in the ongoing series against New Zealand. He has been a consistent performer for the Men in Green but has constantly faced disappointment as his team failed to win. Shaheen Shah Afridi is leading Pakistan in this series and has not been able to win any game as of now. New Zealand has already won the series and with only one game left in the series, they are likely to whitewash Pakistan.
Pakistan was earlier whitewashed by Australia in the three-match Test Series and they have not won a single match since their win against New Zealand in the ICC ODI World Cup 2023. Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan have been the only performers for the Men in Green in this series whereas Babar Azam’s bat was silent in the entire Test series against Australia. The new era of Pakistan cricket has had a shambolic start and they would feel the pressure to perform soon and get some wins under their belt.
