There was never a doubt that Pakistan would find it difficult to beat New Zealand at the latter’s home and the theory was proven true when the Kiwis beat Men in Green by nine wickets in the second T20I to take the series with a game to spare.
This game was all about two masterful innings. Mohammad Hafeez batted like he was in a dream. Everything hit the middle of his bat. To still keep his head and score 99 (unbeaten) runs out of a total of 163 was a monumental effort.
The only reason that innings did not turn out match-winning is that Tim Seifert produced a truly compelling riposte. His unbeaten 84 – to follow a fifty in the first game – is a big reason New Zealand has won this series 2-0. So where it all went wrong?
Pakistan’s captain Shadab Khan laid down a challenge to his top-order batsmen at the toss. “Win the powerplay”. And they went out with great intent to do just that. Focusing completely on power, they started swinging at everything, which backfired because, well, the ball started swinging too.
With the openers gone, the onus fell on the middle-order to stabilise the innings. Here, once again, the batting failed. All thanks to Hafeez’s unbeaten 99 Pakistan were able to put up a fighting total. On the other hand, the much-appreciated bowling department failed brutally.
Apparently, Pakistan national team is highly-dependant on Babar Azam, which is hurting the team too much. We became number one in T20Is but if you dig deeper, our only strength was Babar Azam’s runs and now his absence in two games and we’ve been exposed.
Once upon a time, the Pakistan cricket team was known for its lethal bowling attack, but – as it seems – the team is struggling with its bowling. Pakistani bowlers have not been able to bowl out the opponents recently.
One reason behind Pakistan’s struggle with bowling, probably, is inexperienced players. Shaheen Shah’s struggle on wickets’ graph was another factor. While Shaheen looks like to be back in rhythm, the question of experience remains there.
Another factor is Wahab Riaz, who seems to have lost the rhythm and hasn’t been much impressed with the ball in recent matches. And, his inability to take wickets is a matter of concern for Pakistan’s dressing room.
While Pakistan’s away numbers present a dismal picture, they are by no means the only team to struggle in unfamiliar conditions. The Asian teams have all had tough times when playing in Australia, England, New Zealand and South Africa.
Pakistan has been lacking consistency since the very first man from the country picked up the sport of cricket. The unpredictable ones have made it a habit to fall when they are seemingly infallible, while they rise and shine when all hope is lost.
Mickey Arthur, however, tried. He was the only man under whom Pakistan became a force to be reckoned with in at least one format — the T20Is. While Pakistan dropped a lot of spots in ODIs and Tests, it was under him that we won our last five matches in the 2019 50-over World Cup. We nearly made it to the semis too.
The current setup under Misbah, a man who earned a lot of plaudits for his heroics as captain of the Pakistan side, is destined to fail. The reasons are pretty clear and the results have shown so too.
Next comes the Test series. New Zealand may not have won many global cricketing tournaments, but they are not known for their big trophy cabinet, they are known for their consistency. Pakistan has to step up and every single player has to give its best to beat New Zealand at home.
