New Zealand vs Pakistan - 3rd T20I
By: Fahad Younis - March 21, 2025, 8:51 p.m.
I didn't watch the first 10 overs or so from Pakistan bowling. Shaheen bowled well for the first 3 overs, with the economy of around 6. In the last over, he gave so many runs that he ended with an economy of 9. Granted there was a 4 that should have been stopped by Abbas, but still not good enough from your premier all-rounder. I thought the pacers in general bowled well. It's the spinners that let us down this time. Shadab bowled OK, not a lot of full tosses for a change. I watched Abrar's third over, and I couldn't get my head around why he's bowling short balls. The two wickets he got in the end were from good length balls. We had 4 spinners bowling, and apart from Shadab, the other 3 collectively bowled 5 overs for 74, economy of 14.8. Unfortunately we have no other pacers we can bring in, so this is probably the best XI we can field for now.
Harris got off to a good start with two 6's. He played his natural game and this is what we need from him. Hasan Nawaz seemed to be swinging wildly at everything in the start. It's still early days for him, so we should still play him out in the series. As the innings progressed, he did get better so there is some hope.
I see the Babar haters are out in full force. I'm not his biggest fan, but some of the criticism and abuse is uncalled for. I will support whoever is playing in the team, as long as they deserve it. Here's the thing, Babar was playing the same type of innings Agha played today. But he never had the big hitter on the other end to manage the run rate. When he gets 50 off 40 balls or so then I admit that's not good enough. But to be fair, this was a good batting pitch and a small ground. Even Babar has scored 57 off 35 balls here (strike rate of 162.8). The point is, we need explosive openers to give us a good start which we seem to have found with these two. Saim should be back soon and then our top order is set for T20Is.
In the end, we won quite convincingly. We have improved as the series has progressed. Maybe it was just a matter of getting used to the conditions. We'll find out in the next two games. I hope we stick with the same line up, apart from Shaheen for whoever fits the conditions on the day. I think we'll do well. We have the momentum now and should carry on into the next game. Until then.
Fahad Younis
Author Profile | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
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.
Comments
No comments yet. Be the first to comment!