‘Lower-order, tailenders saved Pakistan from humiliation’

Former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) selector Tauseef Ahmed blasted the Men in Green’s batting lineup over a series of failures in the ongoing PAK vs NZ white-ball series.

Pakistan lost the three-match ODI series after facing an 84-run defeat to New Zealand in the second game in Hamilton.

Mitch Hay’s rollicking 99 helped New Zealand post 292-8 on the scoreboard, while some feisty seam bowling bundled out the visitors for 208 in the 42nd over in the second PAK vs NZ ODI.

Faheem Ashraf remained the top run-getter for the Pakistan cricket team, having scored 73 off 80 balls, while Pakistan’s 12th man pacer Naseem Shah played a 51-run knock.

Pakistan’s top six batters scored 32 runs combined, in which Abdullah Shafique scored just one run, Imam-ul-Haq added three, while Babar Azam could also score just one run.

Captain Mohammad Rizwan was dismissed on five, while his vice Salman Agha departed after scoring 13 runs.

Pakistan cricket team’s top and middle-order returned to the dugout before playing half of the overs, with the scoreboard showing 65-6 in 20.4 overs.

Faheem Ashraf then played a 73-run inning, followed by a fifty by Pacer Naseem Shah, who played the game as a concussion sub for Haris Rauf.

Reacting to the disappointing performance of Pakistan’s batters, former cricketer Tauseef Ahmed blasted the team management and experienced batters.

“Low-order saved Pakistan’s grace by taking them to 208. They would have been bowled out on a much lower score,” he said while speaking to ARY News.

Tauseef Ahmed lamented the series of flop shows by Pakistan cricket team’s batters, saying that such things have been happening for six months.

Recalling Pakistan’s defeat to the USA in the T20 World Cup 2024, the former Pakistan Cricket selector said that the national side’s situation has gotten worse since the crushing defeat.

Tauseef Ahmed also criticised the current team management and head coach Aqib Javed over their ‘unanimous decision.’