Pakistan's Batting Performance Praised Despite T20I Loss to New Zealand

Pakistan's skipper Babar Azam expressed satisfaction with his team's batting performance in the third T20I against New Zealand at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, despite their 7-wicket loss.

Azam, who scored a 37-run knock off 29 balls, acknowledged that Mohammad Rizwan's injury in the first inning was a setback. Rizwan, who had scored 22 runs off 21 balls, was forced to retire hurt.

"We did well with the bat. I don't think it [the slowdown] made much of a difference because we had caught up in the end. You can say we were ten runs short. Unfortunately, we had a bit of a setback with [Mohammad] Rizwan's injury because it wasn't easy for new batters. But Shadab recovered well and had an outstanding partnership with Irfan [Khan]," Azam said at the post-match presentation.

Azam praised the partnership between Shadab Khan and Irfan Khan, which helped Pakistan recover in the game. "In Pindi, 180-190 is a par score," he added.

After winning the toss, New Zealand opted to field first. Saim Ayub (32) and Babar Azam opened the innings for Pakistan, putting on a 55-run partnership. Shadab Khan (41) was the standout batter for the hosts, while Irfan Khan (30) also contributed.

Ish Sodhi led the Kiwi bowling attack with two wickets, while Bracewell and Jacob Duffy took one wicket each.

In the run chase, Dean Foxcroft (31) and Mark Chapman (87) played a crucial 117-run partnership to guide New Zealand to a comfortable victory. Pakistan's bowling performance was lackluster, with only Afridi and Shah taking wickets.

The five-match series is currently tied at 1-1, with both teams having won one game each.

Tags: #PakistanCricket, #NewZealandCricket, #T20ICricket, #BabarAzam, #MohammadRizwan