RAWALPINDI, APR 26: Pakistan head coach Azhar Mahmood has reflected on the area of concern after the home side suffered defeat by four runs against New Zealand in the fourth game of the series.
The Green Shirts came close to chasing the target down but fell four runs short as all-rounder Imad Wasim couldn’t take his side over the line in the last over.
After being put into bat first by Pakistan captain Babar Azam, the visitors posted 178/7 while Pakistan finished on 174/8 in the chase.
This was Pakistan’s second loss in the five-match T20I series against New Zealand and their chances of winning the series are over as even with a win in the last match, they would level it.
While talking after the game, Azhar said Pakistan were better than New Zealand in many aspects of the game, however, there were a few things to work on in the future.
“There were a few positives for us as we scored more boundaries than New Zealand. We also bowled more dot balls but they just took more doubles than us. These are areas of concern for us and we’re constantly working on it,” he said on the Pitch Side show.
Meanwhile, he backed Usman Khan for showing intent despite not scoring big runs in the three innings of his debut series.
“We always talk about showing intent. The way Usman Khan showed intent today was pleasant to watch. He played some good shots but couldn’t perform the way we wanted him to. But intent-wise, he was spot on,” he added.
Azhar said that they know their best XI for the T20 World Cup, scheduled in the West Indies and the USA from June 1.
“We have an idea of our best playing XI but we wanted to try our bench strength as well before going into the World Cup. We’ve almost every base covered. There are a few injury setbacks which is unfortunate,” he concluded.
