Twitter Reactions: Pakistan’s resilience pays off with sole win over New Zealand in fifth T20I

Iftikhar-Ahmed. (Photo by Kai Schwoerer/Getty Images)

Under the leadership of Babar Azam, Pakistan qualified for the finals of the T20 World Cup but lost to England in the finals in Melbourne. Some of the former cricketers were not happy with his leadership skills and continuously questioned him, which eventually resulted in him stepping down from the role. Shan Masood was named the new Test captain, while Shaheen Afridi was given the job to lead the team in T20Is.

Pakistan suffered a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Australia in the Test series, while suffered a 4-1 defeat at the hands of New Zealand. None of their plans worked against the hosts in the first four T20Is but finally, their bowling unit stepped up and got the job done in the fifth match as they defeated New Zealand by 42 runs at the Hagley Oval, in Christchurch.

Batting first, the visitors struggled against the quality bowling of New Zealand. Mohammad Rizwan made 38 runs off 38 runs, which has once again put him in the limelight for playing a slow knock, while Fakhar Zaman smacked 33 runs off 16 deliveries but couldn’t capitalize on his start. None of the other batters stepped up as Pakistan posted 134 runs in the first innings.

In return, New Zealand were bundled out for 92 runs. They missed the services of Daryl Mitchell, who was incredible in the previous match, smashing 72* runs off 44 deliveries. Kane Williamson and Devon Conway were the other notable absentees and that showed as they lacked composure in the middle. 

Finn Allen and Glenn Phillips looked to be in good touch but Pakistan bowlers were too hot to handle. Iftikhar Ahmed picked up three wickets in the middle, while Afridi and Mohammad Nawaz picked up two wickets each. Iftikhar was eventually adjudged as Player of the Match but there are a lot of issues which still prevail and the team management needs to address them. The batting unit majorly depends on Babar and Rizwan and once they fail, the other batters fail to step up. Spin bowling looks sorted at the moment but the overall bowling unit looks pale, with many cricketers out of form.

Here’s how fans reacted to the 5th T20I game between New Zealand and Pakistan: