Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi has voiced disappointment over the team’s recent performance after their loss in the third T20I match against New Zealand at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.
Afridi shared his views on the social media platform ‘X’, highlighting that the Pakistani batters missed out on exploiting a “fantastic batting surface,” resulting in a total of only 178 runs in their innings. He also commended Shadab Khan for his aggressive batting style in the match, which made him the highest scorer for Pakistan.
“On an excellent batting surface, we didn’t make enough runs. The score should have been around 220. Well played Shadab, the rest of the batters should aim for better strike rates in these conditions and pitches. Goodluck for the remaining games. Great inns by Chapman, a great lesson on how to finish a match,” Shahid Afridi posted.
The Men in Green batted first and posted a total of 178 runs, losing four wickets in the process during the first innings. Shadab emerged as the highest scorer with 41 runs off 20 deliveries, including four boundaries and two sixes. Babar Azam and Saim Ayub added 37 and 32 runs respectively, while Irfan Niazi remained unbeaten with 30 runs off 20 balls.
New Zealand’s Mark Chapman starred in the game, scoring an impressive 87 runs from 42 balls, an innings that ultimately led to New Zealand’s victory and leveled the series at 1-1. Chapman’s performance was particularly praised by Afridi, who regarded it as a lesson in how to finish matches effectively.
The series continues with the next two matches scheduled to take place at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on April 25 and 27.
