Pakistan T20I skipper Shaheen Afridi made a shocking statement after they lost three games on the trot against New Zealand in the ongoing series. He said that results don’t matter to them as he believes that everyone is putting in his best efforts.
Pakistan’s new era under the leadership of Shaheen Afridi hasn’t yielded a positive result yet. They are having a torrid time in the ongoing five-match T20I series against New Zealand. The Men in Green lost the first two games and it was expected that they would put up a better performance in the third game.
With the series on the line, Pakistan couldn’t change the result as they suffered a loss in the third game as well and lost the series with two matches to go. The Shaheen Afridi-led side faced a disappointing 45-run loss in the third match.
They didn’t bat and bowl well as they first conceded 224 runs and then could manage just 179 runs. All the pacers including Shaheen Afridi were taken to the cleaners as Fin Allen (137) slammed a brutal ton and helped his team put a big total on board.
After the loss, Shaheen Afridi said that his players are putting in the effort and they are trying to figure out how they can improve. Speaking to reporters during a post-match press conference, he explained:
“Results don’t matter. What matters is that the team is putting in the effort, and I feel all the players in the team are doing that. Everyone is trying to figure out how we can improve.”
PAK vs NZ: He wasn’t able to finish the game – Shaheen Afridi on Babar Azam
In the chase of 225 runs, Pakistan’s batters didn’t have a great outing at all. Babar Azam was the shining light for the team yet again as he played a sensational innings and notched up his third consecutive half-century of the series.
Babar Azam didn’t get the desired support from the other end as wickets kept falling and he too couldn’t take his team past the finishing line. He ended with an innings of 58 runs off 37 balls and also hit 8 fours and 1 six in his innings, batting with a strike rate of 156.75.
Shaheen Afridi praised Babar Azam for his heroics in the series. He admitted that the former skipper failed to finish the game but was quick to quip that the right-hander didn’t get the support. He believes that had any batter stayed with Babar till the end, they could’ve won the game. He added:
“Babar proved how good he is once again and played three best innings in three matches. Yes, he wasn’t able to finish the game but to do that, you need some help to take the game deep. If a good batsman stayed with him at the other end then he could have finished the match.”
With the series already being lost, Pakistan now would be hoping to test some combinations in the next two games. They would be eager to make a comeback and win the last two games. The fourth game between the teams will be played on 19th January.
