Pakistan’s ODI tour of New Zealand came to a dismal end with a 43-run defeat at Mount Maunganui, completing a 3-0 series sweep in favour of the hosts. In the aftermath, white-ball captain Mohammad Rizwan admitted the side was outplayed in all departments but stressed the need to move forward, with the Pakistan Super League (PSL) now on the horizon.
“After Champions Trophy and this series, we’ll leave the past,” Rizwan said in his post-match remarks. “PSL is a big tournament for us in Pakistan, hopefully our nation will enjoy. Hopefully, we’ll do well in PSL.”
Rizwan’s remarks, however, didn’t sit well with Pakistan fans. The Pakistan captain was bashed for already focussing on the PSL, especially when the side had faced a clean-sweep and registered only one win throughout the tour (5 T20Is, 3 ODIs).
The visitors were outclassed in all three games, with their batting once again under the spotlight for failing to cope with pace and movement, particularly with the new ball. Despite Babar Azam scoring two well-compiled half-centuries and young spinner Sufiyan Muqeem showing promise, Pakistan’s inability to seize big moments proved costly.
“I give credit to New Zealand in all departments. They’ve been playing well. We know that these are difficult conditions for us here but they played in Pakistan really well,” Rizwan acknowledged. “They played against us in Pakistan. There are professionals in all departments. We need to improve, that’s it.”
“In New Zealand, it’s very important to play well against the new ball. We’ll learn from here and fix it. If you lose, you can’t say like that (when asked if today was their best performance of the tour),” he added. “Individually we are good, but New Zealand won all the key moments.”
New Zealand, meanwhile, were clinical throughout the series. Ben Sears made history by becoming the first Kiwi bowler to claim five-wicket hauls in consecutive ODIs, rattling Pakistan’s middle order with his aggressive short-ball strategy. Jacob Duffy continued to impress with the ball, while 20-year-old debutant Rhys Mariu added spark with the bat.
Naseem Shah’s cameo with the bat in the third ODI and his disciplined bowling stood out in a losing cause, adding to the positives Pakistan can draw from an otherwise one-sided series.
With the PSL around the corner, Rizwan and his teammates will now look to hit reset and bounce back on home soil.
