Pakistan faced a disappointing 9-wicket defeat in the tri-series match against New Zealand on Tuesday. Finn Allen scored a brisk 62 while Devon Conway remained unbeaten on 49 as the Kiwis chased down a lowly 131-run target with 23 balls remaining. Earlier in the game, Tim Southee, Mitchell Santner, and Michael Bracewell took a piece each, with the latter registering figures of 2/11 in four overs.
Ish Sodhi also picked a wicket to restrict Pakistan to 130/7 in Christchurch.
The Pakistan opening duo of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, that has remained consistent for the side over the years, failed to step up in the game; while Babar scored 21 off 23 balls, Rizwan was also dismissed cheaply (16 off 17 balls).
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Following a poor batting outing, Pakistan's batting coach Mohammad Yousuf was asked whether the team management is inclining towards experimenting with the positions, particularly at the top. Yousuf, however, dismissed the suggestion.
“Ye 1.5-2 saal se ye hi pair chal raha hai. Ispe koi baat hui nahi hai, aur hone bhi nahi chahiye. World Cup kareeb hai, iss tarah ka chance lena mushkil hai. Pehle match me Rizwan man of the match tha, doosre match me Babar tha. Change karne ka koi question nazar aa nahi raha. (We have this opening pair for the past 1.5-2 years. We never discussed about changing the pair, nor should such a discussion happen. World Cup is nearing, it's difficult to take a chance now. Rizwan was player of the match in the first game, Babar in the second. Changing the pair is not an option),” said Yousuf.
{{/usCountry}}“Ye 1.5-2 saal se ye hi pair chal raha hai. Ispe koi baat hui nahi hai, aur hone bhi nahi chahiye. World Cup kareeb hai, iss tarah ka chance lena mushkil hai. Pehle match me Rizwan man of the match tha, doosre match me Babar tha. Change karne ka koi question nazar aa nahi raha. (We have this opening pair for the past 1.5-2 years. We never discussed about changing the pair, nor should such a discussion happen. World Cup is nearing, it's difficult to take a chance now. Rizwan was player of the match in the first game, Babar in the second. Changing the pair is not an option),” said Yousuf.
{{/usCountry}}"Jo management samajh rahi hai ki jiss tarah ka pair chal raha hai, vaise hi rahenge. Kyunki bilkul sar pe World Cup hai (The management feels this pair is working, and we will stick to it. Because World Cup has arrived)," he further said.
Pakistan and New Zealand have four points each in the tri-series, while Bangladesh are yet to open their account in two matches.