New Zealand (194/4) beat Pakistan (193/5) by 6 wickets in the 5th T20I in Rawalpindi - Series drawn

[Savak]

Over a Zoom session?

He only deals through Bradburn till he is actually there for the World Cup. Not sure if the players take Bradburn seriously as he seems a too much of a nice guy.

Apparently the PCB will not have a Chief Selector. Mickey Arthur as team director is being given complete control on selection, captaincy and coaching staff decisions. He will also be communicating with the coaches, players via zoom and i have no doubt he will give the boys a piece of his mind.

No way is Mickey going to tolerate Babar's incompetency as captain as it will impact his job performance as well.

 

[Firebat]

Babar Azam: The way we started, we wanted to get to 190. The way Rizwan-Iftikhar batted we thought, they could get us to 200 plus. We were 15 runs short in the end. Iftikhar, the way he batted and dominated has been good. He has performed in tough situations. Imad did well with the bat. He was doing well in the PSL. Great to have him back as he always was a good bowler. The way we gave oppurtunities to youngsters was a positive. We also understood where we stand and what we need to work on. Credit to Chapman. He was unstoppable. He gave us one chance but that was it. As a professional, you don't have much time to think. You need to focus for the ODIs. We would look to win it.

 

[Firebat]

Tom Latham: Someone plays an innings like that! One of the best innings that we have watched live. I am not sure what they talked about. They absorbed some pressure when they started off. Chappy played a fantastic innings. The work Neesham did was superb as well. It was about to improve game to game. We wanted to keep getting better. We tried to communicate what works and what doesn't. Different guys took oppurtunities at different times. 2-2 is a positive. Unfortunately, Chapman is flying back. It would be a tough series. The ODI series would be no different.

Mark Chapman, Player of the Match and Player of the Series: We are happy to have done the job today. We were 1-2 going into this game. It sort of took a little bit of adjusting as the series. To finish 2-2 is a great result. Remembering to watch the ball till the end. Jimmy came in and started hitting the ball so well.

 

[IMMY69]

I've heard many pundits as well as club cricketers and fans say that T20 is the one format where the so called lesser team has a chance of upsetting a bigger team.

Plenty of lessons for the Pakistan team but I do think people have to keep some perspective.

 

[MenInG]

Highlights of the game

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[GLORY OF '92]

Didn't watch as it's a pointless series but quite clear once again Rizwan cost Pakistan a match. Nothing new. Only him costing us the WC in November will be enough for us to learn.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

A few points to ponder.

1. NZ are not at full strength. Conway, Phillips and Boult are missing.

2. NZ did not have time to acclimatise to the bounce in these wickets and that's why their batsmen had a horror show in the first T20.

Grant Elliott mentioned to Urooj that the stumps hitting length in NZ is around 5.5 m wheras on Lahore (one of tye lowest tracks on the world) it is around 7m.

NZ bowlers were, initially, bowling too full and the batsmen were trying to pull balls that they ought to have played straighter.

Once both batters and bowlers adapted to the lengths on these pitches, NZ simply got better and better.

3. Lahore in recent times has been ridiculously biased towards sides that bat first. This was seen in PSL(9:1?) and while Rawalpindi is pretty balanced , the high scoring nature of the pitch means it is better to chase.

The series scoreline reflects the continous improvement by NZ and the importance of toss . It doesn't say much about Pakistan. I think PAK were just as good in the last T20I as they were in the 1st.

 

[MenInG]

April 25 (Reuters) - Mark Chapman continued his brilliant form with an unbeaten 104 off 57 balls as New Zealand chased down a target of 194 to beat Pakistan by six wickets in the fifth Twenty20 in Rawalpindi on Monday, coming from 2-0 down to draw the series 2-2.

The Blacks Caps looked in deep water at 73-4 in reply to Pakistan's 193-5 but Chapman and all-rounder Jimmy Neesham, who scored 45 not out, combined to get the tourists over the line with four balls to spare and no further losses.

It was New Zealand's second highest successful run chase in T20s and all the more notable for being achieved by a weakened team led by a stand-in coach against a bowling attack that fired Pakistan to the final of last year's World Cup.

"I think we were a little bit under the pump there after the first 10 overs of our innings," Neesham told reporters in Rawalpindi.

"Myself and Chappy decided we'd either go down fighting and get bowled out or give it a good crack. I think Chappy batted outstandingly, he's been hitting the ball beautifully over the last two or three weeks.

"To walk away from a series two-all against a very, very good team at home is pretty pleasing."

Pakistan looked to be in a strong position to clinch the series after opener Mohammad Rizwan's unbeaten 98 led the hosts to a decent tally.

Lefthander Chapman, however, has enjoyed a remarkable tour, dismissed only once in five innings and racking up 290 runs -- a record tally for a five-match T20 series.

As well as taking player of the match and player of the series honours, his performances with the bat earned him an immediate call-up to the squad for the one-day international series that starts in Rawalpindi on Thursday.

"The way Mark's played against one of the best T20 bowling attacks in the world has been nothing short of outstanding," said coach Gary Stead, who will rejoin the squad for the one-dayers after skipping the T20s.

"His match winning knock in the fifth and deciding match was particularly special and we're happy to have someone in such strong form added to our ODI squad."

 

[MenInG]

Babar Azam speaking in his post game presser

"The dropped catch obviously cost us the game"

"Shadab has given a lot of performances in the past. If his performance isn't good in one series, that doesn't make any difference to us. We will back him and he will perform again"

"I think the way we started, on these surfaces in Pindi you keep in mind around 180, 190. And I think the way Rizwan and Iftikhar were playing, I thought 200 was on the cards because the wicket gets even better in the second innings"

"In the last three overs, Rizwan tried hard but couldn't connect them. I think he has done very well in the past but yes, we can say that we should've done well in those two overs and could've scored ten more runs. But that doesn't mean we lost only because of him, it happens sometimes when you're thinking of a plan in your mind but cannot execute it"

 

[Savak]

Babar Azam speaking in his post game presser

"The dropped catch obviously cost us the game"

"Shadab has given a lot of performances in the past. If his performance isn't good in one series, that doesn't make any difference to us. We will back him and he will perform again"

"I think the way we started, on these surfaces in Pindi you keep in mind around 180, 190. And I think the way Rizwan and Iftikhar were playing, I thought 200 was on the cards because the wicket gets even better in the second innings"

"In the last three overs, Rizwan tried hard but couldn't connect them. I think he has done very well in the past but yes, we can say that we should've done well in those two overs and could've scored ten more runs. But that doesn't mean we lost only because of him, it happens sometimes when you're thinking of a plan in your mind but cannot execute it"

Precisely what is wrong with the team. Players are giving long ropes because of past performances. Zero pressure to work on their games and perform.

 

[MenInG]

Imad Wasim reflects on the T20I series

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[sam_ahm]

What should Pakistan do to win a series? Nothing seems to be working at the moment.

 

[Rana]

What should Pakistan do to win a series? Nothing seems to be working at the moment.

Change in leadership could be a start?

 

[Doc77]

Pakistan strategy clearly not working - we played our reserve team against Afghanistan and lost. We played our full strength team against NZ reserve and lost. This is what happens when you have no consistent coach, management and leadership.

Babar has failed as captain - he is too busy maintaining his friendships. Poor team selection and bowling changes. Ihsanullah bowled a brilliant first over, built up momentum and rhythm to reach 150KM by the end of the over and was immediately replaced by Shadab who got smashed!!!!!! Fast bowlers had NZ down and out but instead of finishing them off he gave them a chance by bringing his friend into he game!!!

Sethi is ultimately to blame - he doesn't know what he is doing and making reactionary decisions and firing statements everyday int he press to please his political bosses that may look optically good but don't work in reality.

 

[Amjid Javed]

Babar Azam speaking in his post game presser

"The dropped catch obviously cost us the game"

"Shadab has given a lot of performances in the past. If his performance isn't good in one series, that doesn't make any difference to us. We will back him and he will perform again"

"I think the way we started, on these surfaces in Pindi you keep in mind around 180, 190. And I think the way Rizwan and Iftikhar were playing, I thought 200 was on the cards because the wicket gets even better in the second innings"

"In the last three overs, Rizwan tried hard but couldn't connect them. I think he has done very well in the past but yes, we can say that we should've done well in those two overs and could've scored ten more runs. But that doesn't mean we lost only because of him, it happens sometimes when you're thinking of a plan in your mind but cannot execute it"

In last 3 overs rizwan played for himself, trying to get 100 rather then trying to score heavily and take proper risks. The poor last 3 overs is what cost Pakistan the game.

 

[sam_ahm]

Change in leadership could be a start?

I think this was inevitable. There is a lot of casualness always amongst players, management, experts, and fans.. Everyone seems to be in some sort of denial. Most fans are obsessed with Babar's ranking as if this is Tennis. Management often makes lame statements like "we lost to a better team", "Not many touring teams win in Aus/Eng/Rsa", " We are in rebuilding phase" Etc...

Now they are losing at home, away, everywhere, they are losing to "B" Teams, "A" Teams every team... Now they will come up with some other denial statement, may be like "Bilaterals are meaningless", " We are preparing for the future" Etc...

Truth is that a team with a professional culture doesn't look for excuses in defeats and takes every game seriously. Winning is a habit and losing is NOT OK, no matter what, that is the mindset a professional team has.

Individual records don't matter at all in cricket. It is a team game and will remain a team game.

I've said this numerous times before and will say it again, from the time Wasim Akram was sacked after reaching the finals of 1999 WC, to a time when losing against Afghanistan is also considered "OK" Is a sad state of affairs.

 

[Savak]

I think this was inevitable. There is a lot of casualness always amongst players, management, experts, and fans.. Everyone seems to be in some sort of denial. Most fans are obsessed with Babar's ranking as if this is Tennis. Management often makes lame statements like "we lost to a better team", "Not many touring teams win in Aus/Eng/Rsa", " We are in rebuilding phase" Etc...

Now they are losing at home, away, everywhere, they are losing to "B" Teams, "A" Teams every team... Now they will come up with some other denial statement, may be like "Bilaterals are meaningless", " We are preparing for the future" Etc...

Truth is that a team with a professional culture doesn't look for excuses in defeats and takes every game seriously. Winning is a habit and losing is NOT OK, no matter what, that is the mindset a professional team has.

Individual records don't matter at all in cricket. It is a team game and will remain a team game.

I've said this numerous times before and will say it again, from the time Wasim Akram was sacked after reaching the finals of 1999 WC, to a time when losing against Afghanistan is also considered "OK" Is a sad state of affairs.

The captain sets the tone for the team. Babar is just a curse and has been a curse as captain for every team he has captained.