Pakistan came from behind to level the five-match T20I series 2-2 after losing back-to-back matches.

While chasing 179, Tom Blundell hit Afridi for a boundary but the bowler made a comeback, reducing New Zealand to 5-1.

Tim Seifert gave New Zealand hope with his aggressive stroke play during his one-sided 76-run partnership with Michael Bracewell.

Seifert scored 52 runs from 33 balls with the help of seven boundaries and two sixes before Usama Mir castled him in the ninth over with 81 runs on the board.

Mir bowled the maiden and removed Mark Chapman in the next over to reduce New Zealand to 97-3.

Shadab Khan and Imad Wasim also joined the party as the visitors slipped to 103-5 before James Neesham and Josh Clarkson’s brief 22-run stand, which pushed the total to 125.

However, Afridi returned to the attack and picked back-to-back wickets to break the budding partnership.

Clarkson fought the lone war with an unbeaten 38 off 26, however, could not find support from the other end as New Zealand bundled for 169 in the last over.

Afridi topped the bowling charts for Pakistan with his figures of 4-30, while Mir claimed two wickets.

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New Zealand invited Pakistan to bat first and got an early breakthrough as Saim Ayub fell prey to William O’Rourke with only eight runs on the board.

Babar Azam launched an onslaught, keeping Pakistan in command, meanwhile Usman Khan, after a shaky start, joined the party.

Together they raised 73 runs for the second wicket in 45 balls, before Ish Sodhi removed Khan. The right-handed batter scored 31 off 24, featuring three boundaries and one six.

Fakhar Zaman joined Babar Azam on the crease but remained scratchy during their 42-run stand for the third wicket.

Azam top-scored for Pakistan with 69 runs from 44 balls with the help of eight boundaries, including two sixes before he was bowled by Ben Sears’ searing yorker.

Zaman switched gears during his one-sided 36-run partnership with Iftikhar Ahmed, scoring 28 runs but fell in the last over.

The left-handed batter scored 43 off 33 with the help of four boundaries and one six.

Shadab Khan (15) and Imad Wasim (4) remained unbeaten as they pushed Pakistan’s total to 178-5 in 20 overs.

For New Zealand, Foulkes, O’Rourke, Sears, Sodhi, and James Neesham bagged one wicket each.

READ: ICC T20 World Cup 2024 trophy reaches Lahore

The post Babar, Shaheen aid Pakistan to level series against New Zealand appeared first on ASports.tv.

NZ 169 (19.3 Overs

NZ 167/8 (19 Overs)

Abbas Afridi to bowl the penultimate over

NZ 157/8 (18 Overs)

Amir comes onto the bowl

NZ 146/8 (17 Overs)

16.1: The ball thunders into the front pad of Sodhi and the umpire doesn’t hesitate to raise the dreaded finger. The batter tried to work it away off his pads and didn’t account for the seam movement, looks plumb.

Shaheen Afridi continues

NZ 137/7 (16 Overs)

Shadab Khan returns

NZ 127/7 (15 Overs)

14.3: Shaheen demolishes Foulkes with a pinpoint accurate yorker from round the wicket and it’s right in the blockhole.

14.2: Backs away into the leg side and Neesham tries to crunch it up and over point, Shadab takes a sprawling catch above his head.

Shaheen Afridi returns to the attack

NZ 121/5 (14 Overs)

Mir to bowl his last

NZ 108/5 (13 Overs)

12.1: Imad bowls length delivery that spins back markedly into the middle and McConchie didn’t pick him, no bat involved. The balls rap the back pad, pitching outside off, umpire’s call on impact and hitting wickets.

Imad Wasim replaces Mir

NZ 103/4 (12 Overs)

11.3: Shadab drops it a little short on the middle, Bracewell tries to lift it up and over midwicket but can only drag it to Babar Azam at short midwicket

Shadab Khan comes into the attack

NZ 97/3 (11 Overs)

10.6: Chapman goes too far away across his stumps for an ambitious sweep shot and Usama Mir zips it quicker on off-stump, he fails to connect and the ball rips through the stumps.

Usama Mir continues

NZ 92/2 (10 Overs)

Iftikhar Ahmed replaces Ayub

NZ 81/2 (9 Overs)

8.1: Slightly shorter and drifting in at middle and leg, Seifert yanks his front foot away to slog that into the stands but loses his control and ends up dragging it back onto the stumps.

Usama Mir continues

NZ 81/1 (8 Overs)

Saim Ayub comes onto the bowl

NZ 66/1 (7 Overs)

Usama Mir to bowl

NZ 63/1 (6 Overs)

Amir continues

NZ 49/1 (5 Overs)

Abbas Afridi replaces Shaheen Afridi

NZ 35/1 (4 Overs)

Mohammad Amir comes into the attack

NZ 20/1 (3 Overs)

Shaheen Afridi continues

NZ 14/1 (2 Overs)

Saim Ayub to bowl the second over

NZ 9/1 (1 Over)

0.5: Shaheen hits the hard length and gets it to slant away just a wee bit and enough to get it through the gate, pings the top of off as Blundell goes for a wild swing over midwicket.

Tim Seifert and Tom Blundell come out to bat for New Zealand. Shaheen Afridi to bowl the first over for Pakistan.

PAKISTAN vs NEW ZEALAND (2nd INNINGS)

LAHORE: Babar Azam’s 34th half-century, followed by Fakhar Zaman’s anchoring knock took Pakistan’s total to 178 against New Zealand in the fifth T20I of the five-match series here at Gaddafi Stadium on Saturday.

PAK 178/5 (20 Overs)

Foulkes to bowl the last over

PAK 171/4 (19 Overs)

18.3: Iftikhar stayed deep in the crease and tonked the full toss through the line but he didn’t get much elevation and was caught easily.

James Neesham to bowl the penultimate over

PAK 158/3 (18 Overs)

Sears to bowl his last

PAK 139/3 (17 Overs)

William O’Rourke to bowl his last

PAK 130/3 (16 Overs)

Foulkes returns

PAK 123/3 (15 Overs)

14.6: Snuffs out a terrific yorker and under the bat, smashing the middle stump, special delivery to get Babar out.

Ben Sears replaces Sodhi

PAK 116/2 (14 Overs)

William O’Rourke returns to the attack

PAK 109/2 (13 Overs)

Ish Sodhi continues

PAK 98/2 (12 Overs)

Bracewell returns

PAK 90/2 (11 Overs)

Ish Sodhi continues

PAK 86/2 (10 Overs)

Ben Sears returns to the attack

PAK 81/2 (9 Overs)

8.5: Usman prances down the track to manufacture his own length and spoons it to Michael Bracewell at extra cover.

Ish Sodhi continues

PAK 75/1 (8 Overs)

Michael Bracewell continues

PAK 60/1 (7 Overs)

Ish Sodhi comes into the attack

PAK 51/1 (6 Overs)

Michael Bracewell comes on to bowl

PAK 46/1 (5 Overs)

William O’Rourke returns

PAK 38/1 (4 Overs)

Ben Sears replaces William O’Rourke

PAK 23/1 (3 Overs)

Zak Foulkes continues

PAK 10/1 (2 Overs)

1.3: Round the wicket, fuller on off, Saim looks to go up and over mid-off, but he can only manage to mistime to wide mid-off where Michael Bracewell takes a brilliant diving catch.

William O’Rourke to bowl the second over

PAK 8/0 (1 Over)

Babar Azam and Saim Ayub come out to bat for Pakistan. Zak Foulkes to bowl the first over for New Zealand.

PAKISTAN vs NEW ZEALAND (1st INNINGS)

LAHORE: New Zealand have won the toss and elected to bowl first against Pakistan in the fifth T20I of the five-match series here at Gaddafi Stadium on Saturday.

PLAYING XIs

New Zealand

Michael Bracewell (c), Tom Blundell, Mark Chapman, Josh Clarkson, Zak Foulkes, Cole McConchie, James Neesham, Will O’Rourke, Ben Sears, Tim Seifert (wk), Ish Sodhi.

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Pakistan

Babar Azam (c), Saim Ayub, Usman Khan (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim, Shaheen Afridi, Usama Mir, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir

HEAD TO HEAD

Matches 43, Pakistan 22, New Zealand 19, NR 2

READ: ICC T20 World Cup 2024 trophy reaches Lahore

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PLAYING XIs

New Zealand

Michael Bracewell (c), Tom Blundell, Mark Chapman, Josh Clarkson, Zak Foulkes, Cole McConchie, James Neesham, Will O’Rourke, Ben Sears, Tim Seifert (wk), Ish Sodhi.

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Pakistan

Babar Azam (c), Saim Ayub, Usman Khan (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim, Shaheen Afridi, Usama Mir, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir

HEAD TO HEAD

Matches 43, Pakistan 22, New Zealand 19, NR 2

READ: ICC T20 World Cup 2024 trophy reaches Lahore

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Pakistan team failed to chase 179 during the last-over thriller in Lahore’s iconic Gaddafi Stadium.

New Zealand are currently leading the five-match series 2-1. The two teams will square off in the last match of the series on April 27.

Despite the loss, Azhar Mahmood stated that Pakistan outperformed New Zealand in many areas of the game, but acknowledged that there were still areas for improvement.

“There were a few positives for us as we scored more boundaries than New Zealand. We also bowled more dot balls but they just took more doubles than us,” the former all-rounder said.

“These are areas of concern for us and we’re constantly working on it.”

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He also defended young batter Usman Khan, who failed to live up to the expectations during the series, scoring a meagre 28 runs in three innings.

“We always talk about showing intent. The way Usman Khan showed intent today was pleasant to watch. He played some good shots but couldn’t perform the way we wanted him to. But intent-wise, he was spot on,” he added.

Azhar Mahmood also stated that the team has all bases covered, but they were testing their bench strength during the ongoing series.

“We have an idea of our best playing XI but we wanted to test our bench strength as well before going into the World Cup,” he further added.

“We’ve almost every base covered. There are a few injury setbacks which is unfortunate.”

READ: Babar Azam opens up about Pakistan’s narrow loss against New Zealand

The post Azhar Mahmood points out positives from Pakistan’s loss appeared first on ASports.tv.

Pakistan team failed to chase 179 during the last-over thriller in Lahore’s iconic Gaddafi Stadium.

Babar Azam, after the match, appreciated the bowlers for making a comeback and restricting New Zealand to 178 after a good start by the batters.

However, he blamed the batting collapse for the team’s failure in chasing the target.

“I think we restricted them in bowling really well. We were expecting 190-200 but the bowlers stuck to their plans. It was chaseable, but we had a batting collapse as we lost three wickets in the powerplay,” said Babar Azam.

“When you lose back-to-back wickets, you need a few overs to catch up but that we got derailed in that period.”

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He then appreciated left-handed batter Fakhar Zaman for his impressive knock of 61 runs from 45 balls, which featured four boundaries and three sixes.

“Fakhar [Zaman] played an outstanding innings. We wanted to chase it with positive intent but we were unable to do so,” Babar added.

The right-handed batter also acknowledged the challenge of forced changes due to injuries to key players during the series.

He also shared that the team wanted to try different combinations during the series and expressed optimism about the team’s preparation for the T20 World Cup.

“There were some changes due to injuries but youngsters put in a great effort. Our plan was to give a proper opportunity to (test our) bench strength and to try different combinations. Hopefully, we will have the team ready come the time of the World Cup,” he concluded.

New Zealand are currently leading the five-match series 2-1. The two teams will square off in the last match of the series on April 27.

READ: Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez to miss rest of season after groin surgery

The post Babar Azam opens up about Pakistan’s narrow loss against New Zealand appeared first on ASports.tv.

With this victory, the visitors have taken an unassailable 2-1 lead in the five-match series.

Set to chase 179, Pakistan had a dismal start as they lost three wickets inside the power play with 48 runs on the board.

Fakhar Zaman launched the recovery for Pakistan with crucial partnerships with Shadab Khan (7) and Iftikhar Ahmed (23).

The left-handed batter top-scored for Pakistan with 61 off 45 with the help of seven boundaries, including three sixes.

After Zaman’s dismissal, Imad Wasiim took control of the innings but could not get his team across the line as he remained unbeaten at 22 off 11.

Requiring 18 off last over, Pakistan managed only 13, finishing with 174/8 in 20 overs.

O’Rourke led New Zealand’s bowling with three wickets, while Ben Sears claimed 2-27.

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Earlier, Pakistan captain Babar Azam invited New Zealand to bat first and the visitors proved the decision wrong, scoring 56 runs in five overs.

Zaman Khan provided the breakthrough as he removed Tom Blundell who was playing brilliantly at 28 off 15. His innings included five boundaries.

Tim Robinson continued to attack from the other end and completed his maiden half-century before Afridi struck to pull things back for Pakistan.

Robinson top-scored for New Zealand with 51 runs from 36 balls, laced with four boundaries and two sixes.

Pakistan bowlers did not allow New Zealand batters to settle down as they kept picking wickets at regular intervals.

Dean Foxcroft scored 34 off 26, while skipper Michael Bracewell played a 27-run cameo to lift the team’s total to 178/7 in their allocated 20 overs.

James Neesham remained unbeaten with run-a-ball 11.

Afridi topped the bowling charts for Pakistan with figures of 3-20, while Mohammad Amir, Zaman Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, and Usama Mir bagged one each.

READ: ICC T20 World Cup 2024 trophy arrives in Pakistan

The post New Zealand edge Pakistan to take unassailable lead appeared first on ASports.tv.

PAK 174/8 (20 Overs)

19.2: Rams the yorker in the blockhole and he goes for a full-blooded swing towards the leg side, the ball sneaks through and shatters the stumps.

James Neesham to bowl the last over

PAK 161/7 (19 Overs)

18.1: Over the wicket, harmless full-toss outside off slapped straight to mid-off, Abbas didn’t respond to the call and got run out.

Duffy to bowl the penultimate over

PAK 151/6 (18 Overs)

17.4: Searing a yorker on the legs, Fakhar chipped in the air and straight into the hands of Foxcroft who catches it brilliantly.

Ben Sears returns to the attack

PAK 140/5 (17 Overs)

16.3: Lands it on a length wide of off, Iftikhar throws the kitchen sink at it and it doesn’t make a good sound, Neesham comes in from deep cover and takes a comfortable catch.

William O’Rourke to bowl his last

PAK 133/4 (16 Overs)

Duffy to bowl the 16th

PAK 122/4 (15 Overs)

James Neesham replaces Sears

PAK 114/4 (14 Overs)

Michael Bracewell continues

PAK 98/4 (13 Overs)

Sears returns to the attack

PAK 92/4 (12 Overs)

Michael Bracewell continues

PAK 85/4 (11 Overs)

William O’Rourke returns

PAK 80/4 (10 Overs)

9.4: Shadab hits in the air and Neesham doesn’t err on this occasion, doesn’t have to move much at deep midwicket and swallows it down his throat at deep midwicket.

Michael Bracewell continues

PAK 76/3 (9 Overs)

Sodhi continues

PAK 61/3 (8 Overs)

Michael Bracewell replaces Sears

PAK 54/3 (7 Overs)

Ish Sodhi comes on to bowl

PAK 48/3 (6 Overs)

5.3: Usman Khan dances down the track and lofts it straight to mid-on where Duffy makes sure he doesn’t drop a dolly.

Sears continues

PAK 45/2 (5 Overs)

4.3: Saim looked to go over backward square but didn’t connect well, straight to Clarkson, who makes no mistake.

William O’Rourke

PAK 35/1 (4 Overs)

Ben Sears comes to bowl

PAK 28/1 (3 Overs)

Duffy continues

PAK 13/1 (2 Overs)

William O’Rourke to bowl the second over

PAK 6/0 (1 Over)

Babar Azam and Saim Ayub come out to bat for Pakistan. Jacob Duffy to bowl the first over for New Zealand.

PAKISTAN vs NEW ZEALAND (1st INNINGS)

LAHORE: Abbas Afridi picked three wickets to help Pakistan restrict New Zealand to 178-7 after a brilliant start in the fourth T20I of the five-match series here at Gaddafi Stadium on Sunday.

NZ 178/7 (20 Overs)

Amir to bowl the last over

NZ 169/6 (19 Overs)

Abbas Afridi to bowl his last

NZ 164/4 (18 Overs)

Amir returns to the attack

NZ 155/4 (17 Overs)

Zaman Khan returns

NZ 143/4 (16 Overs)

Iftikhar Ahmed continues

NZ 135/4 (15 Overs)

14.3: Floated up shorter on off, got plenty of bounce, tried to get underneath and looked to go big over deep midwicket, but was caught by Fakhar in the outfield.

Usama Mir comes on to bowl

NZ 129/3 (14 Overs)

13.5: Slowed it up on a length at the middle, backed away and Chapman went for a full-blooded shot but Shadab Khan took an absolute screamer at wide mid-off.

Iftikhar Ahmed to bowl from the other end

NZ 122/2 (13 Overs)

Imad Wasim returns

NZ 113/2 (12 Overs)

Usama Mir changes end

NZ 98/2 (11 Overs)

10.2: It was a full-bunger on the middle, Robinson swung lustily through the line, Iftikhar Ahmed perched on the edge of the boundary at long-on.

Abbas Afridi replaces Usama Mir

NZ 93/1 (10 Overs)

Imad Wasim continues

NZ 89/1 (9 Overs)

Usama Mir continues

NZ 76/1 (8 Overs)

Imad Wasim returns

NZ 71/1 (7 Overs)

Usama Mir comes on to bowl

NZ 62/1 (6 Overs)

Amir returns to the attack

NZ 56/1 (5 Overs)

4.6: Blundell committed to the pull too early just checked his shot and got the top edge that ballooned up, Usama sprinted across and gobbled it.

Zaman Khan continues

NZ 44/0 (4 Overs)

Abbas Afridi comes on to bowl

NZ 33/0 (3 Overs)

Zaman Khan replaces Imad Wasim

NZ 22/0 (2 Overs)

Mohammad Amir to bowl from the other end

NZ 14/0 (1 Over)

Tim Robinson and Tom Blundell come out to bat. Imad Wasim to bowl the first over for Pakistan.

PAKISTAN vs NEW ZEALAND (1st INNINGS)

LAHORE: Pakistan have won the toss and elected to bowl first against New Zealand in the fourth T20I of the five-match series here at Gaddafi Stadium on Thursday.

PLAYING XIs

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PLAYING XIs

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The statement came after Pakistan suffered a seven-wicket against New Zealand in the third T20I here at Pindi Cricket Stadium on Sunday.

It was Shadab who took Pakistan to their eventual total of 178 after he came in to bat at sixth position. He put together a sensational partnership with Muhammad Irfan Khan Niazi, bolstering the team’s total.

The duo added 62 off 34 deliveries before Shadab perished in the penultimate over. He remained the top-scorer for Pakistan with a quickfire 41 off 20 deliveries which featured four boundaries and two sixes.

Speaking on his batting position, Shadab Khan said: “I have played one-down and two-down in the PSL [Pakistan Super League] and that’s where I think I am most comfortable”.

However, the right-handed all-rounder said that he was also fine with being used as a ‘floater’. “If I get a chance, the planning will be the same – I’m the sort of player who will look to make quick runs,” he added.

Furthermore, Khan said that playing an impactful innings is a more challenging task as compared with making runs on a consistent basis.

“Sometimes, you need impactful innings, especially in T20 cricket nowadays. Making runs consistently in T20 cricket isn’t difficult, but playing impactful innings is difficult,” he added.

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Earlier, Pakistan captain Babar Azam defended the team’s batting approach, saying that the Green Shirts were 10 runs short of a defendable total.

“I don’t think it [slow run-rate during the middle overs] made much of a difference because we had caught up. You can say we were 10 runs short,” said Azam.

“Unfortunately, we had a bit of a setback with Rizwan [injury] because it wasn’t easy for new batsmen but I think Shadab recovered well and had an outstanding partnership with Irfan. In Pindi, 180-190 is a par score. In batting, we did well.”

With the five-match series squared off at 1-1, both teams will now travel to Lahore where the last two T20Is will be played on April 25 and 27 respectively.

Pakistan squad for New Zealand T20Is

Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Saim Ayub, Usman Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Haseebullah (wk), Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Amir, Abbas Afridi, Abrar Ahmed, Fakhar Zaman, Irfan Khan Niazi, Usama Mir, Zaman Khan

Reserves: Mohammad Ali, Agha Salman, Sahibzada Farhan, Mohammad Wasim Jr.

New Zealand squad:

Michael Bracewell (c), Tom Blundell, Mark Chapman, Josh Clarkson, Jacob Duffy, Dean Foxcroft, Ben Lister, Cole McConchie, Zak Foulkes, Jimmy Neesham, Will O’Rourke, Tim Robinson, Ben Sears, Tim Seifert (WK), Ish Sodhi.

READ: Shaheen Afridi calls Mohammad Rizwan “Bradman of T20 cricket”

The post Shadab Khan ‘feels comfortable’ batting in top-order appeared first on ASports.tv.

Rizwan went past national men’s team white-ball captain Babar Azam and India’s batting maestro Virat Kohli to become the fastest to complete 3,000 runs in T20Is during Pakistan’s seven-wicket victory over New Zealand in the second T20I on Saturday.

Kohli and Azam were the joint-fastest to score 3000 runs in T20I cricket, taking 81 innings each, followed by Australia’s Aaron Finch who took 98 innings.

The wicket-keeper batter amassed this record in 79 innings, with his match-winning 45-run knock against the Blackcaps in Saturday’s match.

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As a result, Shaheen Afridi took to his X, formerly Twitter, and congratulated Mohammad Rizwan on achieving the milestone.

“Cheers to Muhammad Rizwan – the Bradman of T20 cricket and Pakistan’s SuperMan for hitting 3,000 T20I runs!” wrote Shaheen.

“Your impact has transformed the game and silenced the sceptics. Keep soaring, champion! You’re an inspiration to many,” he added.

Cheers to Muhammad Rizwan – the Bradman of T20 cricket and Pakistan's SuperMan for hitting 3,000 T20I runs! Your impact has transformed the game and silenced the skeptics. Keep soaring, champion! You're an inspiration to many. @imrizwanpak pic.twitter.com/JKnoxfEeUF

— Shaheen Shah Afridi (@iShaheenAfridi) April 22, 2024

It is worth mentioning here that the ongoing five-match series between Pakistan and New Zealand is squared off at 1-1.

The two teams will now travel to Lahore where the last T20Is will be played on April 25 and 27 respectively.

Pakistan squad

Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Saim Ayub, Usman Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Azam Khan (wk), Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Amir, Abbas Afridi, Abrar Ahmed, Fakhar Zaman, Irfan Khan Niazi, Usama Mir, Zaman Khan

Reserves: Haseebullah, Mohammad Ali, Agha Salman, Sahibzada Farhan, Mohammad Wasim Jr.

READ: Babar Azam opens up on Pakistan’s upset defeat against New Zealand

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