Against New Zealand in the opening Twenty20 International, Pakistan’s tenure under Shaheen Afridi in white-ball cricket has started on a worrying note. The Men in Green have found it difficult to control the Blackcaps after choosing to bowl first. Their subpar fielding hasn’t helped matters one bit. Fans criticize the Men in Green for their miserable fielding.
Pakistan, having just suffered a crushing loss in Australia, where their fielding was a major factor in their demise, dismissed opposing captain Kane Williamson twice in the opening ten overs.
The first missed opportunity was the fault of former captain Babar Azam. In the sixth over of the innings, he let slip a straightforward opportunity from the bowling of Abbas Afridi close to the boundary.
Williamson was granted another respite as Iftikhar Ahmed failed to convert the second opportunity. When the hitter attempted to hit Usama Mir’s delivery over him. The fielder performed admirably at short third man in the beginning.
Iftikhar perfectly timed his jump to stop the ball from moving forward. After many juggles, he was unable to hold onto the opportunity and spilled it. Williamson‘s missed opportunities cost him dearly as he went on to score a half-century. He creates a strong foundation for the middle order to profit from.
Fans criticize the Men in Green for their miserable fielding
To the dismay of the players, Pakistan’s routinely bad fielding decisions have not been spared on Twitter.
In the opening over of the match, Devon Conway was dismissed for a duck by Shaheen Afridi. But ever since, New Zealand has been dominant. After Kane Williamson’s fifty-year-old innings, Daryl Mitchell took over the show. With four fours and four sixes in his 61 runs off 27 deliveries, he helped the hosts reach the 200-run milestone.
Currently, after 18 overs, New Zealand is 198-5, with Mark Chapman and Adam Milne sharing the crease.
The pitch is flat and the boundaries are short, so it will be difficult for the Men in Green to chase the score. Maybe escape a series as they start their tour of New Zealand.
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