[Watch] Little girl in tears after Pakistan's last-ball defeat against New Zealand in 4th T20I
Pakistan suffered a heartbreaking last-ball defeat in the third T20I against New Zealand, leading to a young girl in the crowd crying at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on April 25.
Facing a second-string New Zealand side, the hosts won the second T20I convincingly after the series opener was washed out. However, a shocking defeat in the following encounter saw the five-match affair leveled at one apiece.
In the just-concluded fourth match, Pakistan restricted the Black Caps to a manageable total of 178/7 in 20 overs. The Men in Green stuttered their way in the run-chase by losing wickets regularly despite maintaining a solid run-rate.
Eventually, it came down to six runs needed off the final ball, but Imad Wasim could only manage a single, resulting in a four-run defeat for the hosts.
After the last ball was bowled and the result was determined, a little girl supporting Pakistan could not hide her emotions.
Here is a video of the same:
The defeat means Pakistan cannot win the series outright as New Zealand took a 2-1 lead with one game remaining.
Pacer William O'Rourke was adjudged the Player of the Match for his brilliant spell of 3/27 in four overs.
"Our plan was to test our bench strength and we tried out different combinations" - Babar Azam
Pakistan skipper Babar Azam was disappointed with the loss in the penultimate T20I but admitted that testing their bench strength in this game was paramount ahead of the upcoming T20 World Cup.
The Men in Green were without pace spearheads Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah for this clash.
At the post-match presentation, Babar said on Pakistan's defeat:
"We made some changes due to injuries but our youngsters did well. Our plan was to test our bench strength and we tried out different combinations. We are trying something new and different in every game. Hopefully, we will be settled before going to the T20 World Cup."
The 29-year-old was recently reinstated as captain of the Pakistan white-ball sides after relinquishing the position across formats at the end of the 2023 ODI World Cup.
Babar will look to finish the series on level terms with a win in the final T20I in Lahore on Saturday, April 27.