Shaheen Afridi claims that Babar Azam might have won the match if he had assistance following the Dunedin loss.
Pakistan vs New Zealand, 3rd T20I: After Pakistan’s 45-run defeat against New Zealand at the University Oval in Dunedin, captain Shaheen Shah Afridi showered accolades on batsman Babar Azam. In the five-match Twenty20 International series, New Zealand defeated Pakistan to establish a commanding 3-0 lead.
In the current Twenty20 International series, Babar reached his third consecutive half-century, however he was unable to lead his team to victory in Dunedin. Against New Zealand, the former captain of Pakistan amassed 58 runs off of 37 deliveries, smacking eight boundaries and just one six.
New Zealand’s bowlers back Finn Allen’s work with the bat to take an unassailable 3-0 #NZvPAK T20I series lead 🙌
Scorecard: https://t.co/XUheCbAUFu pic.twitter.com/v4SxuDAHcb
— ICC (@ICC) January 17, 2024
After the game, Afridi remarked that if Babar had support from the other end, he may have sealed the deal for Pakistan. In the current Twenty20 International series, Babar has amassed the most runs for Pakistan with 181 runs at an average of 61.33.
“In three matches, Babar demonstrated his superiority once more by playing his three best innings. Yes, he was unable to complete the game, but in order to do so, you need assistance in order to advance the game. He could have won the game if a strong batsman had stayed with him at the other end, Afridi claimed.
New Zealand defeated Pakistan by 45 runs in Dunedin thanks to a century from Finn Allen, a record that helped them win the five-match Twenty20 International series. With his contribution to the first innings total of 224, he broke the previous record held by New Zealand’s Brendon McCullum in Twenty20 international cricket.
Despite noises from Babar and Muhammad Rizwan, New Zealand controlled the game, restricting Pakistan to 179 for 7. Babar was eventually dismissed due to the high run-rate requirement, and despite efforts by Nawaz and Afridi, Pakistan was 45 runs short of the required total.
Allen continued to be the game’s MVP as his 137 runs from 62 balls proved crucial to New Zealand’s triumph.
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