Kiwis suffer five wicket loss in their opening game against Pak

New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson was magnanimous in defeat after his side pushed Pakistan all the way before succumbing to a five-wicket loss in a Super 12s thriller.

New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson was magnanimous in defeat after his side pushed Pakistan all the way before succumbing to a five-wicket loss in a Super 12s thriller. Haris Rauf took four for 22 and Asif Ali smashed 27 off 12 balls to see Pakistan to a second victory at the ICC Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup 2021. Williamson admitted that Ali, who hit three sixes, the same as New Zealand made in their 20 overs, timed the ball better than anyone.

“It was a tough surface to time the ball on and someone like Shoaib Malik batting through and finishing off with a couple of blows. And Asif Ali who came in and hit the ball beautifully, much sweeter than anybody else on a tricky surface,” said Williamson in an official release issued by ICC. “Unfortunately, it didn’t quite go our way and I suppose if we look at the opposition and how clinical they were at the death and not allowing us to time the ball, they were the highest class and for us, it’s trying to take some of those learnings and move forward,” he added.

New Zealand will face India next, whom Pakistan beat by ten wickets on Sunday, and they will be without Lockie Ferguson who pulled out of the tournament with a calf tear prior to a ball being bowled in the Pakistan game. Williamson was also full of praise for Pakistan’s bowlers, with Rauf the pick of the bunch taking four wickets from his four overs.

0

0