Mohammad Rizwan calls for improvement in fielding after tri-series loss

KARACHI: Pakistan’s white-ball captain Mohammad Rizwan called for improvement in the fielding after a gruelling defeat in the tri-nation ODI series final against New Zealand here at the National Bank Stadium on Friday.

The home side, defending a modest 243-run target, were sloppy in the field and dropped Tom Latham twice.

The wicketkeeper batter was first dropped on 15 by Shaheen Shah Afridi off his own bowling and then on 27 by Saud Shakeel at square leg off Abrar Ahmed.

He went on to smash a match-winning half-century, scoring 56 off 64 deliveries with the help of five boundaries, helping New Zealand to comfortably chase down the target for the loss of five wickets and 28 balls to spare.

Pakistan captain Rizwan, while speaking at the post-match presentation, acknowledged the team’s struggles in the department and called for improvement ahead of the highly-anticipated ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025, scheduled to commence on February 19.

"We need to improve our fielding. If we look at all three games, there is much room for improvement. This is one department where we have been lacking," said Rizwan.

Mohammad Rizwan, who scored a match-winning century at the same venue against South Africa on Wednesday, asserted that the hosts were 15 runs short of a defendable total.

“We wanted to bat first because we thought in the second half, the pitch would be tough. But their bowlers put a squeeze on us. We were looking to target 280 but they got it back. We were 15 runs short,” said Rizwan.

“They were bowling very well. Me and Agha were trying to build the stand. We tried doing that, but they were not giving us the balls. We kept the target to 280, not 300. My wicket was crucial,” he concluded.