"Black day for Pakistan cricket" - Twitterati lambast the Men in Green for losing T20I series against New Zealand with two games to spare
Pakistan's T20I life under Shaheen Afridi has got off to an underwhelming start. They lost the third T20I against New Zealand by 45 runs at the University Oval in Dunedin on Wednesday to concede the five-match series with two games remaining.
The Blackcaps set up the win with a blockbuster batting performance after they were put into bat by Afridi for the third match in a row. Opening batter Finn Allen amassed the highest score by a New Zealand batter in a T20I (137 off 62), on the back of which the hosts posted 224-7.
It was a familiar story for Pakistan in the run chase. The new-look opening partnership of Saim Ayub and Mohammad Rizwan failed to fire yet again, while Babar Azam scored his third consecutive fifty. The former skipper, however, lacked support from the rest of the middle order as Pakistan finished with 179-7 after 20 overs.
Pakistan fans were left fuming with the team's performance and Mohammad Hafeez's winless run since taking charge as team director. Have a look at some of the reactions in Twitter right here:
"I have been trying to do the basics right, that's all" - Finn Allen on his match-winning knock against Pakistan
Finn Allen has been merciless at the top of the order against the Pakistan bowlers in the series so far. After scoring 34 and 74 runs in the first and the second T20I, respectively, the opening batter went one step further in the third contest of the series.
He struck a total of 16 sixes in his memorable 137-run knock, laying the foundation once again for the Blackcaps to post a mammoth total.
"It feels very good. It is a competitive total for the boys, which is very nice. Hopefully, we can get over the line. I have been trying to do the basics right, that's all. We tried to assess the wicket and then tried to play strong cricket shots. Rauf and I had a deal before the series when he said that he would not bowl me a bumper and I would not hit him a six. However, he erred there and I changed the terms of the deal," Allen said during the mid-innings break.
As far as Pakistan are concerned, the series loss comes as an ominous sign, given that there are only a handful of months remaining for the 2024 T20 World Cup.
The Men in Green's decision to shake up the batting order has not gone to plan. The middle order has once again proved to be a huge headache, while the bowlers have struggled to show control across all phases of the innings.
Will New Zealand be able to register a whitewash over the visitors in the T20I series? let us know what you think.