New Zealand’s second straight defeat against the C team put a question mark on Pakistan’s middle-order batting line-up.
There are only 39 days left in the ICCT20 World Cup 2024, but the Green Shirts could not even compete with the C team of the Kiwis on home ground. In the fourth T20 played in Lahore yesterday, New Zealand lost the series 1-2. Has gained the upper hand.
There is a question mark on the performance of the Pakistani players who took the Kiwis lightly before the series, captain Babar Azam is out of form while Rizwan and Babar are not ready to leave their positions for the opening. Similarly, Iftikhar Ahmed is also not performing in the middle order.
In T20 cricket, Pakistan’s scoring rate in the middle overs is a cause for concern, the national team is only scoring runs in the shortest format with a better run rate than Afghanistan.
Despite having two of the fastest 3000-run cricketers in the playing XI, Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam, the Green Shirts are struggling to play aggressive cricket.
The national team’s middle order is scoring just 7.30 runs between 7-15 overs in T20 cricket, which is better than only Afghanistan.
Australia leads with a score rate of 9.75, South Africa is second with 9.35 while India is third with a run rate of 8.97 in 7-15 overs.
Pakistan have a wide range of options in the middle and lower middle order of Mohammad Rizwan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan and Imad Wasim.
Scoring rate in 7-15 overs
9.75 — Australia
9.35 — South Africa
8.97 — India
8.56 — West Indies
8.22 – Sri Lanka
8.20 – England
8.07 — New Zealand
7.46 — Ireland
7.36 — Bangladesh
7.30 — Pakistan
7.01 — Afghanistan
