Azhar Mahmood reflects on Pakistan’s bowling woes

Pakistan cricket team’s bowling coach Azhar Mahmood has reflected on the national side’s struggles in the bowling department during the ongoing PAK vs NZ T20I.

The Men in Green lost the five-match series to New Zealand, having lost three out of four previous games.

Ahead of the fifth and final PAK vs NZ game, Azhar Mahmood admitted that the bowling unit was not delivering up to expectations.

Speaking during a pre-match conference in Wellington, the former Pakistan cricket team allrounder acknowledged that the bowlers have not clicked together as a group.

“We need to understand that bowling, like batting, requires teamwork. All three bowlers need to perform together. While one bowler may bowl well, others are not always able to deliver the same level of performance,” he said.

Azhar Mahmood went on to assert the Men in Green would want to finish the PAK vs NZ series with a victory in the final game.

“Our job is to motivate the players, and we are working hard to ensure that we finish the series with a 3-2 result. We have lost the series, we’re not out of any tournament,” he said.

The former allrounder also discussed Shaheen Afridi’s underwhelming performances in recent times.

“Shaheen Afridi was unfortunate—his deliveries got top edges, but he couldn’t take wickets,” Azhar Mahmood said.

He also hinted at potential changes for the final PAK vs NZ game, saying that Pakistan cricket’s team management was mulling alterations to the playing XI.

“It’s possible that we will make one or two changes in the final match,” Mahmood added.