"Results don't matter" - Shaheen Afridi's makes bold statement after Pakistan lose T20I series to New Zealand
Pakistan's T20I captain Shaheen Afridi's tenure began on a disastrous note, suffering three consecutive defeats in the ongoing five-match series against New Zealand.
Pakistan suffered a 45-run defeat in the third T20I in Dunedin on Wednesday, January 17. With the victory, the Blackcaps secured an unassailable 3-0 lead in the rubber.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Afridi suggested that he was not bothered by the results. Stating that the effort of his team matters to him the most, the Pakistan skipper said:
"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."
Shaheen Afridi has received a lot of flak for his captaincy in the ongoing series. He also became the first-ever Pakistani skipper to lose his first three T20Is as captain.
To make matters worse, he has also had a poor outing with the ball, bagging four wickets from three games at an economy rate of 9.91.
"He could have finished the match" - Shaheen Afridi feels Babar Azam would have won Pakistan the 3rd T20I had he received some support from the remaining batters
Pakistan needed to chase down a mammoth 225-run target in the third T20I to remain afloat in the five-match series. However, their batting let them down on yet another occasion, with Babar Azam being the only saving grace.
Babar registered his third half-century of the series, scoring 58 runs off 37 balls. However, he did not receive much support from the other batters. Commenting on the former captain's knock, Shaheen Afridi said:
"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."
New Zealand opener Finn Allen was named Player of the Match for his spectacular 137-run knock. The fourth T20I between the two sides will be played at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Friday, January 19.