New Zealand vs Pakistan T20I Thoughts
By: Fahad Younis - March 20, 2025, 7:37 p.m.
Some thoughts on the first two T20s Vs New Zealand. It's good that we are giving the youngsters a chance, but maybe throwing them into the deep end Vs New Zealand in their home wasn't a great idea. We've seen this in the past where Pakistan took a relatively inexperienced side to Australia and were absolutely humiliated. Nevertheless, recent performances demanded that we change things up and this gives the young players a chance to show what they're made of (even if we may end up losing the series 5-0).
There are some players who I don't think should be anywhere near the team. The main ones for me are Shaheen and Shadab. I can't remember a good performance from either of these players in the national team in recent years. Young Shaheen was good, but he was never world class. He could swing the ball early and get wickets in the first one or two overs. After that he became very average. Now even that has disappeared from his game. And Shadab can't stop bowling full tosses to save his life. I don't care what their performances are in the leagues, or with the bat. They are paid to be bowlers and should be judged solely on their bowling performances.
We should have probably included Haseebullah and Sahibzada Farhan as they've got some experience already but were never given a proper chance. Anyhow, we should stick with the team for the whole series now whether they win any matches or not. Let them have a proper go. First match was a complete disaster, but there were some improvements in the second match. Although, to be honest, even in the second match only the experienced players (Agha, Khushdil, Shadab) scored any runs. Shaheen bowled a first over maiden, only to then concede four 6's in the next over. That's another issue with our bowlers. There's no consistency. No one knows how to bowl the right line and length and actually stick to it. I think Khurram Shehzad should be given a chance in the white ball team. He was good in the recent Bangladesh test series that we lost 2-0. He was one of our better bowlers in that series. Abbas Afridi is another one that deserves a proper chance. Apart from that, I don't know who else from the domestic circuit can step up to the national team. Mohammed Ali is also very underwhelming. I don't know why he's in the team. Playing well in PSL seems to be the only merit to get into the national team. The guy has no spark and no x factor you want in a bowler.
For the next match, I would probably take out Shaheen and Mohammed Ali, and bring in Abbas Afridi and maybe Abrar. There's not much we can do about Shadab now that he's vice captain. Unless we can replace him with a specialist batsman? Apart from that, there's not much else we can change. Also, why are we not playing Sajid Khan in ODIs at least? It's mind bogling how the management completely ignores him despite his heroics in the England and West Indies series. I know Nauman Ali also played well in those games but the guy is almost 40 years old.
Anyway, I probably won't be able to watch the game tomorrow, but I'll catch the highlights later. Until then.
Fahad Younis
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I'm not a cricket expert, nor am I a professional writer—I’m just a passionate fan of Pakistan cricket. From thrilling victories to heartbreaking losses, I follow the team through every high and low. Stumps and Dugout is my space to share thoughts, reactions, and analysis from a fan’s perspective. Whether it’s squad selections, match performances, or just the unpredictable nature of Pakistan cricket, I’m here to talk about it all.
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