PAK vs NZ: "The Dropped Catch Obviously Cost Us The Game" - Babar Azam Blames Shadab Khan After The Loss Against New Zealand In The Fifth T20I

Pakistan suffered a 6-wicket loss against New Zealand in the fifth and final match of the five-match T20I series at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Monday, April 24. Pakistan captain Babar Azam believes that the drop catch of Mark Chapman at the end was the turning point of the match.

Mark Chapman was on 67 runs when his catch was dropped by Shadab Khan, and he scored an unbeaten century of 104 runs off 57 balls. Shadab dropped a catch at long in the 14th over of the match in Shaheen Afridi’s bowling. The Black Caps chased down the target of 194 runs with four balls to spare.

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We Will Back Shadab Khan – Babar Azam

Babar Azam said that the team management will continue to back Shadab Khan, given his performances for Pakistan in the past.

“The dropped catch obviously cost us the game,” said Babar Azam at the post-match press conference.

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“Shadab has given a lot of performances in the past. If his performance isn’t good in one series, that doesn’t make any difference to us. We will back him and he will perform again,” he added.

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Rizwan Tried Hard But Couldn’t Connect Them – Babar Azam

Babar Azam said that they could’ve scored 10 more runs in the first innings to set up a big total on the surface, which is good for batting in the second inning. The Pakistan skipper backed wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan and said that he tried to hit boundaries but didn’t connect.

“I think the way we started, on these surfaces in Pindi you keep in mind around 180, 190. And I think the way Rizwan and Iftikhar were playing, I thought 200 was on the cards because the wicket gets even better in the second innings,” he added.

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“In the last three overs, Rizwan tried hard but couldn’t connect them. I think he has done very well in the past but yes, we can say that we should’ve done well in those two overs and could’ve scored ten more runs. But that doesn’t mean we lost only because of him, it happens sometimes when you’re thinking of a plan in your mind but cannot execute it,” he concluded.

Pakistan started the five-match series on a high note by winning the first two matches. However, the Kiwis bounced back in the T20I series and leveled the series at 2-2. The first ODI of the five-match series between the two teams will be played at the same venue on April 27.

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