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LAHORE: Pakistan skipper Babar Azam has expressed disappointment over the national squad’s hapless performance against Zimbabwe on Friday.
The skipper said in a video posted on Twitter by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), “We chased 200 against South Africa, so we should have chased 119 runs here. However, we … played poor cricket,” he added.
He said not only had the middle order collapsed, but the team’s batsmen were not able to put up a good performance as they used to in the past, the skipper lamented.
Babar Azam interview after the second #ZIMvPAK T20I#HarHaalMainCricket #BackTheBoysInGreen pic.twitter.com/9nkLpCRlPB
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) April 23, 2021
He said, “The whole batting order had collapsed today and we should give credit to Zimbabwe for their comeback.” The skipper said, “Our middle order struggled throughout the match and we will try to step up their game.”
Indeed, the T20I World Cup is right around the corner and we are trying to sort out the team’s issues before that, he said.
Zimbabwe on Friday beat Pakistan by 19 runs in the second fixture of the three-match T20I series at the Harare Sports Club after the Men In Green failed to reach the 119-run target.
This was the first time Zimbabwe won a T20I against Pakistan and helped them level the ongoing three-match T20I series at one-all. Pakistan, who were chasing a target of 119 runs, slumped to 99 all out, with one ball remaining.
Captain Babar Azam remained the top scorer for Pakistan, making 41 off 45 balls, while Danish Aziz contributed another 22 runs from 24 balls. The only other player to reach a double-digit score was Mohammad Rizwan, who managed 13 from 18 balls.
The home team’s bowlers did well on their side, with Luke Jongwe leading the way by taking four wickets for 18 runs. Ryan Burl took two wickets, while Blessing Muzarabani and Richard Ngarava took one wicket each.
Earlier, Tinashe Kamunhukamwe was the only Zimbabwe batsman to post a respectable score, making 34 as the hosts reached 118-9 in 20 overs. Six Pakistan bowlers shared the wickets with Mohammad Hasnain (2-19) and Aziz (2-29), while Ashraf, Arshad Iqbal, Haris Rauf and Usman Qadir took one each.