NZ vs PAK 2018: Shoaib Akhtar Leaps in Defense of Under-Fire Pakistan

Updated - 10 Jan 2019, 12:17 AM

Shoaib Akhtar (Credits: Twitter)

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Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar has leapt in defence of his national team after New Zealand dismissed Sarfraz Ahmed & Co. for a record-low score to win the third one-day international in Dunedin on Saturday (January 13).

Chasing 257 to keep the five-match series alive, the Men in Green were all out for a paltry 74, handing the hosts a 183-run victory and an unassailable 3-0 series lead. The visitors came perilously close to break Zimbabwe’s record of lowest total in ODIs but managed to avoid the embarrassment due to the contribution from the lower-order.

Out of the 11 players, only four managed to cross the double-digit mark while none of them could reach the 20-run mark with number eleven batsman Rumman Raees (16) being the top-scorer.

Azhar Ali, Muhammad Hafeez, and Shadab Khan returned to the pavilion without bothering the scorer, Fakhar Zaman (2), Babar Azam (8), Shoaib Malik (3) and Hasan Ali (1) collectively managed to add only 14 runs to the team’s total.

That Pakistan is set for a humiliating defeat was very much clear when they could manage only nine for three inside the first powerplay. The condition only deteriorated when half of the side was back in the hut with just 15 on the board and was reduced to six just one run later.

At 32 for eight, Pakistan still needed three runs to cross Zimbabwe’s world record for the lowest one-day total, 35, set in 2004 against Sri Lanka in Harare; thanks to skipper Sarfraz Ahmad (14*), Faheem Ashraf (10), Mohammad Amir (14) and Raees, they managed to cross the mark. The resistance from the lower-order, however, could not last long, as Pakistan were eventually all out for 74 inside 28 overs.

The latest defeat has drawn widespread criticism for Pakistan who is now in danger of suffering a whitewash. But unlike many, Akhtar defended the team and was quick to remind the critics and the disappointed fans Pakistan’s fairytale triumph in last year’s Champions Trophy where they won the title despite being the lowest-ranked side. At the same time, the tearaway pacer admitted the team needs to correct the fault.

“But guys we won a champions trophy as nation & we are going to take that defeat as nation to but faults needs to be corrected I agree with you ..,” he wrote on Twitter.

But guys we won a champions trophy as nation & we are going to take that defeat as nation to but faults needs to be corrected I agree with you ..

— Shoaib Akhtar (@shoaib100mph) January 13, 2018

In another tweet, Akhtar stated while Pakistan’s batting struggle did not surprise him, he was not expecting such a poor performance.

“Subcontinent teams always struggle abroad but this performance of Pak team is shocking & left me speechless but I always knew Pak team batting is going to struggle but they way they crumbled in batting wasn’t expected.. anyways save the kiwi wash if you can guys..,” he tweeted.

Subcontinent teams always struggle abroad but this performance of Pak team is shocking & left me speechless but I always knew Pak team batting is going to struggle but they way they crumbled in batting wasn’t expected.. anyways save the kiwi wash if you can guys..

— Shoaib Akhtar (@shoaib100mph) January 13, 2018