Updated March 18th 2025, 12:06 IST
NZ vs Pak: Pakistan 's pace spearhead Shaheen Afridi is highly-rated across the world, but his recent performances have not lived upto the expectations. Following the shambolic show by Pakistan in the recently-concluded Champions Trophy , Afridi faced the heat and one reckoned he would turn things around when Pakistan take on New Zealand. But that did not happen.
Afridi conceded 31 runs in three overs and that did not help as Pakistan were defending a low score of 135. Among his three overs, one was a maiden. That means he was hit for 31 runs in two overs and what did not help his cause further is that he did not pick up a wicket. Now, Afridi is getting brutally trolled on social space.
Meanwhile, Pakistan has lost both the T20Is and that is embarrassing to say the least. It was a 15-over game as rain played a part and overs had to be docked.
"It was freezing. It was a good game compared to the last game. We batted batter. Fielding was outstanding. Bowling in patches was good. The bounce we need to understand is different. After the powerplay, we bowled well," Pakistan captain Salman Agha said at the post-match presentation.
It would be interesting to see how the Men in Green perform in the third game. Also, will they make changes to their XI which lost the second game?
The Salman Agha-led side would be extremely low in confidence and they would desperately be looking for inspiration from somewhere. The third T20I would be played on March 21 at Eden Park. That would give Pakistan time to reboot.
Published March 18th 2025, 11:57 IST