LAHORE: Babar Azam, the captain of Pakistan, expressed optimism that his team can win the five-match series despite the absence of one of their batting mainstays in the penultimate Twenty20 International against New Zealand. The loss in the previous game was disheartening.
After New Zealand, stripped of its major names because of their participation in the Indian Premier League, shocked Pakistan by winning the third game by seven wickets, the series is now tied at one. However, the hosts will also be without one of their key players.
The last two games of the series will be skipped by Pakistan’s top order, which includes batsman Mohammad Rizwan and opener Babar, because of a hamstring injury he suffered during their previous meeting in Rawalpindi.
A spokesman for the Pakistan Cricket Board announced the injury absentees prior to Babar’s pre-match news conference for Thursday’s fourth Twenty20 encounter. Pakistan will also be without batter Irfan Khan Niazi due to injury.
At the Gaddai Stadium on Wednesday, Babar told reporters, “Injuries are part and parcel of the game.” However, the team will undoubtedly miss a star player like Rizwan when he leaves. Everyone has witnessed how his performances have benefited Pakistan.
“Thank goodness Rizwan’s injury isn’t too serious. We’re playing more series before the T20 World Cup [in June], so he’s getting plenty of rest to heal fully.”
Ahead of the World Cup in the United States and the West Indies, Pakistan’s team, which includes a number of new players, will get a chance to hone their winning formula in the series against New Zealand.
Prior to the match, Babar was named captain again and expressed optimism that his team would win the series.
“The team as a whole lost the match, so we can’t just point the finger at one or two players because we lost the last game,” he stated. We are a team, and the outcome would have been in our favor if we hadn’t squandered opportunities on the field.
“We’ll aim to avoid making the same mistakes twice in order to win the remaining two games and the series.”
Additionally, he supported Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah to demonstrate their genuine abilities after they were completely destroyed by the aggressive Mark Chapman in the previous game, with the New Zealand batsman leading his team to victory.
Babar emphasized that Pakistan will keep switching up their lineup for the remainder of the series and that every player supported the team’s management.
He declared, “We’re trying to give everyone a chance.” In an effort to have everyone in peak condition for the World Cup, we are also attempting to provide opportunities for play to our bench strength. We are experimenting with different lineups, and if a player is dropped, the team management promptly notifies everyone involved.
Meanwhile, Michael Bracewell, the captain of New Zealand, stated that the Black Caps were encouraged by their triumph in the third Twenty20.
Pakistan easily won the second game of the series after losing the first one, and Bracewell stated that his team’s “confidence had been restored” following their triumph.
“We always learn something while playing here, and the playing conditions are different in Pakistan,” he continued. Even though we won’t have our big stars, this is a great chance for the younger players to show who they are in a global series. Our players will have a terrific opportunity to compete against a formidable opponent because Pakistan is fielding all of their best players.
Bracewell praised Chapman for his spectacular knock in the last game and stated that his team will keep improving.
He declared, “As a batting unit, we learned from our loss against Pakistan in the second game and adjusted our game accordingly.” “We don’t think that the final two games at the Gaddafi will be simple. We won’t rest on our laurels after the previous game; instead, we’ll continue to concentrate on making improvements.
