"You lost games to our C side, Ireland, and the USA" - Mitchell McClenaghan issues savage comeback to Pakistan fan's claims against New Zealand
New Zealand pacer Mitchell McClenaghan came up with a brutal response on X (formerly Twitter) to a Pakistani fan's post citing the Blackcaps' recent failures. The Kane Williamson-led side are on the cusp of being eliminated from the T20 World Cup after suffering a 13-run defeat to co-hosts West Indies (June 12).
New Zealand's campaign has been a one to forget so far. Usually overperforming and making it to the knockout stages more often than not, the Blackcaps have garnered a notorious reputation. But no such brilliance has been on show so far.
The team did not partake in any warm-up games during the build-up to the event, and were outclassed by Afghanistan in their first match. The 84-run defeat to Rashid Khan and Co. was demoralizing, to say the least, and losing to the West Indies after reducing them to 30-5 at one stage only worsened the issue.
One Pakistani fan took to X and claimed that New Zealand players preferred money over national duty since they opted to play in the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL).
"This is What Happens when you Prefer Money over National Duty. New Zealand Had a great Chance to prepare themselves for World Cup 2024 on Pakistan Tour but their Main Players Choose IPL and now they are out of the World Cup," the post read.
McClenaghan pointed out that New Zealand's second-string team managed to give Pakistan a tough time in the subcontinent earlier this year.
"Very poor take. You lost games to our C side, Ireland and the USA," McClenaghan's reply read.
New Zealand and Pakistan are arguably in the same boat as both face the prospect of an early elimination. The Blackcaps have matches against Uganda and Papua New Guinea remaining, but their earlier defeats could prove to be too much of a liability.
Michael Bracewell-led New Zealand side returned a 2-2 result in 5-match T20I series against Pakistan
With the majority of the Kiwi stars partaking in the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL), a lot of youngsters and bench players availed the opportunity to play a five-match T20I series against Pakistan.
The first match was abandoned due to rain, and over the next set of matches, New Zealand made a comeback from being 0-1 down to go 2-1 up in the series. The Men in Green secured a narrow win to avoid a series defeat against New Zealand's second-string side.