Mohammad Rizwan highlights areas of improvement after New Zealand loss

LAHORE: Pakistan’s white-ball captain Mohammad Rizwan highlighted his team’s shortcomings in the opening match of the tri-nation ODI series against New Zealand at the Gaddafi Stadium here on Saturday.

The home side were outclassed by a masterful Glenn Phillips and a combined bowling effort by the New Zealand bowlers and thus succumbed to a gruelling 78-run defeat in the aforementioned fixture.

Rizwan, who won his first three ODI series as the national team captain since assuming the role in November last year, asserted that it seemed unlikely for them to lose at one stage but acknowledged that the hosts fell short in some key areas, especially fielding.

“When we lose, it looks difficult only. When we were bowling, the wicket looked a bit difficult. The way Phillips batted was outstanding,” Rizwan said at the post-match presentation.

“When we focus on what we need to improve on, we need to work on our fielding,” he added.

The skipper also addressed the role of the all-rounders, stating that they can not be expected to bowl a full quota of 10 overs.

"If we play an all-rounder, we can't expect him to bowl ten overs. He can give us 5-6 overs," stated Rizwan.

The wicketkeeper batter, who fell for a meagre three off 11 deliveries, emphasised the need to build strong partnerships in a bid to ‘stabilise’ the innings.

"When wickets are falling, we must ensure that we form partnerships to stabilise the innings,” he concluded.

After a crushing defeat in their campaign opener, the home side will play their remaining league-stage match against South Africa on Wednesday at the newly-renovated National Bank Stadium.

Pakistan squad for tri-nation series and Champions Trophy 2025:

Mohammad Rizwan (c), Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, Khushdil Shah, Salman Ali Agha (vc), Usman Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah and Shaheen Shah Afridi.