Inzamam-ul-Haq, the former Pakistan captain, praised Pakistan’s performance against New Zealand in Sharjah, particularly their bowling with the new ball. The 2009 T20 World Cup champions won for the second time in a row and now lead their Super 12s group.
Inzamam credited Pakistan’s powerplay bowling for the victory. The in-form Pakistan bowling unit was right on the money from the start. Babar Azam won the toss and put the Blackcaps to bat first. With a magnificent maiden over, Shaheen Afridi set the tone. Before Haris Rauf stepped into the bowl the final over of the powerplay and dismiss Martin Guptill, Imad Wasim kept things close.
“I felt the main reason behind Pakistan’s win was their powerplay bowling. They did not allow New Zealand batsmen to score runs at all in the first six overs. They scored around 40 runs in the powerplay. Even though we only got a single wicket, the bowlers did not give any room. Allow them to play freely by opening their stance.” Inzamam said
New Zealand scored 42-1 on the powerplay and finished with a total of 134-8 after 20 overs. The New Zealand bowlers did a good job with the ball during the powerplay, limiting the chasing side to 30-1, but they lost their way towards the conclusion of the innings. Inzamam-ul-Haq
Inzamam observed that Pakistan pushed on from where they left off against India and capitalized on the momentum. The team appears to be fairly balanced at the moment, with the middle order, which was considered their weak link heading into the competition, holding up well after being put to the test.
Shaheen Afridi
“It was like they continued their momentum right from the game against India. The way Shaheen Afridi bowled the first over, and that was a maiden. So, it looks like they have a set tempo now.” Inzamam added
Pakistan has a good chance of qualifying for the semi-finals of the tournament with two wins against the top two teams in the group, something they haven’t done since the 2012 edition.
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