MOUNT MAUNGANUI: While defending his decision to bowl first in all the matches of the ODI series against New Zealand, Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan on Saturday admitted the senior batters of the team needed to improve in order to finish games.
Chasing 265 in a 42-overs-a-side third ODI due to rain in Mount Maunganui, Pakistan had got off to a good start with Babar notching a half-century. However, the tourists were unable to close the game with wickets falling in quick succession as Kiwi pacers took control to give their team a well-deserved 3-0 series sweep.
“We definitely need to bring some improvement in that department, there are no excuses there,” Rizwan told reporters in the post-match media conference while responding to a question regarding senior batters not being able to complete chases.
“Our ability to finish games is lagging, which is why I think we’re not able to produce results. But there are a lot of things around it that we need to take into account.”
The 30-year-old Babar, widely considered as the main pillar of Pakistan’s batting, managed to score 129 runs in the three ODIs against New Zealand, Rizwan collected just 72 while opener Imam-ul-Haq made only three in the second ODI and got retired hurt after making one run in Mount Maunganui.
The ODI series whitewash marked the end of a disappointing white-ball tour for Pakistan that also saw a 4-1 loss in the T20 International series.
Saturday’s loss was Pakistan’s sixth consecutive defeat to New Zealand in ODIs all of which were held in 2025. The ongoing year has remained quite dreadful so far for the Green-shirts who have managed to claim only one ODI win in nine games while losing seven. One match was abandoned.
Answering a question, the skipper welcomed criticism, if required results were not coming.
“Surely, criticism [from media] is a [due] right, particularly if the [desired] results are not being produced [by the team],” Rizwan said.
“Even the captain can be criticised. On my part, whenever I feel I have made a mistake I always accept it.”
A particular shortcoming in the ODI series, Rizwan pinpointed, was the inability to make the most of the new ball in seam-friendly conditions after winning the toss and opting to bowl first on all three occasions.
“I think if you ask any team in the world what they would do on a wet, green pitch after winning the toss on a New Zealand morning before the winters here, they’d say the same,” he insisted.
“The conditions that were put in front of us, we all knew that. The problem was that with the new ball, we tried to survive that phase. We tried to get through the initial 10 overs.
“If you look at the way they [New Zealand] played, they were taking wickets with the new ball in the second innings. So, we didn’t take the benefit of winning the toss.
“If you think we should’ve batted first after winning the toss, it would’ve been something completely different because the conditions didn’t favour that.”
The series loss adds to Pakistan’s recent losses, having finished without a win at the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 as hosts. Just prior to the Champions Trophy, the Green-shirts also lost the final of a three-nation tri-series ODI tournament at home featuring South Africa and New Zealand.
Noting a pattern in Pakistan’s recent struggles, Rizwan stated, “The problem that we’ve had consistently came out during the Champions Trophy and the [preceding] tri-series.
“If you look at the games we’ve played, we’ve been able to hold the teams till 40 overs. We’re losing the plot after that.
“Hopefully, all of us alongside the management can work towards having the same effort till the 50th over that we put in the initial 30-35 overs.”
BRACEWELL PRAISES BENCH STRENGTH
New Zealand’s stand-in skipper Michael Bracewell summed up a comprehensive display from the Black Caps after their series sweep over Pakistan.
“It was an enjoyable day, always nice to finish the season on a high, wanted to put up a good performance in front of a great crowd, thankful we managed to do that,” Bracewell said after the match.
“Wicket played well, credit to groundsmen [after the relentless rain], thought it was a great game of cricket.
“Obviously a reduced one but enjoyable. With the reduced number of resources, you get a chance to put down the foot a little bit earlier.”
Summing up the series performance from the Black Caps, Bracewell highlighted the incredible bench strength that was on show from the hosts.
“Seeing the guys come in and do well is most pleasing and winning the series is an added bonus. It was great to see different guys step up at different times.”
Among the standout performers for the winning side was the pace trio of Ben Sears, Jacob Duffy and Nathan Smith, who combined for 22 wickets from the three ODIs.
Bracewell expressed his delight at how the young bowling unit stepped up to the occasion, showcasing the fiery intensity that had been expected of them.
“We are clear about the style we want to play…[on fast bowlers] they carried through to ODIs, pretty amazing to watch them, they are fast, aggressive and used their height and bounce.
“We found a way to get to an above par total and the way bowlers bowled, it was always going to be enough.”
Published in Dawn, April 6th, 2025
