Former Pakistan cricketers Ramiz Raja and Rashid Latif were extremely critical of Pakistan’s loss New Zealand in the 4th of a 5-match home T20I series.
The Green Army suffered a 7-wicket defeat against the Kiwis in the 3rd T20I in Rawalpindi after winning the 2nd T20I by the same margin. Pakistan had a golden opportunity to extend their lead at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, where their final match was against a top-flight New Zealand team.
Pakistan’s inconsistent batting performance in Lahore
However, their hopes of defeating the inexperienced Blackcaps team were dashed when the visitors’ target of 179 proved too much for the hosts. New Zealanders Tim Robinson (51), Tom Blundell (28) and Dean Foxcroft (34) laid the foundation stone, while Jimmy Neesham (11) and Michael Bracewell (27) put the finishing touches on.
In response, Pakistan got off to a crumbling start as they were reduced to three wickets in the powerplay when Babar Azam, Saim Ayub and Usman Khan departed when the score stood at 46. Number 5 batter Shadab Khan lost his wicket for 79 runs and at that time the hosts were far from the target.
Left-arm batsman Fakhar Zaman then linked up with Iftikhar Ahmed for 59 runs before the latter was bowled out after a 20-ball 23. Zaman then left the crease six runs later after a relatively slow knock of 61 off 45. 5 runs later at 151, Abbas Afridi was also sent to the pavilion while Usama Mir was the last wicket to fall as Pakistan were at 165.
New all-rounder Imad Wasim tried his best with his 11-ball 22 but could not take his team over the finish line as Pakistan were restricted to 174 balls. The New Zealanders finally prevailed after taking a 2-1 lead with pacer William O’. Rourke is provided with numbers from March 27th. man of the match.
Ramiz Raja calls Pakistan’s loss a case of ‘over-experimentation’
When Ramiz Raja spoke about Pakistan’s defeat against New Zealand in Lahore in his latest YouTube video, he was in no mood to hold back. Calling it a case of excessive experimentation, the former PCB chairman alleged that the management was unnecessarily evaluating the abilities of certain players in different positions. Raja cited this as the main reason for the tragic loss of the Men in Green.
“Experiments take place here, so-called experiments. The same players are still involved, just their positions have been changed. They are trying to assess the abilities of some players, which is why they justify their subpar performance. “If we lose the game, please be patient with us.” – said Ramiz Raja in the YT video.
Rashid Latif points out internal differences
Former Pakistan wicket-keeper batsman Rashid Latif had a completely different opinion. He believes that there is some kind of dispute or cold war going on in the locker room and that they are not only playing on the floor, but also off it.
Rashid Latif wanted to point out that certain players are unhappy with the current regime and some also do not agree with Babar Azam leading the team. “If you play off the field, you cannot perform on the field during a game. I can say that for sure and I am sure people can understand what I want to say.” – claimed Rashid Latif.