Pakistan were dismissed for 242 on a two-paced pitch, with New Zealand comfortably chasing down the target in just 45.2 overs. Veteran batter Ahmed Shahzad has criticized Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan for what he described as a “mind-boggling” mistake in choosing to bat first during the tri-nation series final against New Zealand.
On Friday, New Zealand defeated Pakistan by 5 wickets to win the final at the National Stadium in Karachi. After electing to bat first, Pakistan were bowled out for 242, and New Zealand completed the chase in just 45.2 overs. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Shahzad questioned Rizwan’s decision to bat first, particularly after Pakistan had successfully chased down 353 against South Africa just days earlier at the same venue.
Shahzad Criticizes Pakistan’s Tactical Decisions Ahead of Champions Trophy
“It was a perplexing decision to bat first because we saw in the previous match that the pitch tends to improve for batting at night, and the ball doesn’t grip for spinners. Despite that, Pakistan chose to bat first,” Shahzad remarked on his YouTube channel.
He further expressed that Pakistan’s team can only defeat second or third-tier teams, adding that the Rizwan-led squad has been harshly exposed by New Zealand just ahead of the Champions Trophy.
“Pakistan’s bubble has burst before the Champions Trophy. You can only win if the opposition underperforms or is missing key players,” he said.
Shahzad also criticized the decision to drop pacer Mohammad Hasnain in favor of all-rounder Faheem Ashraf, especially since Ashraf bowled only two overs in the match.
“With every decision, the Pakistan captain seems to play it safe with the batting. Whether it’s having one less spinner in the Champions Trophy squad or opting for Faheem Ashraf in this match to lengthen the batting lineup at the cost of Mohammad Hasnain, only for Ashraf to bowl just two overs,” Shahzad pointed out.
After the match, Rizwan explained the reasoning behind his decision to bat first.
“We chose to bat first because we believed the pitch would be more difficult in the second half. However, their bowlers applied pressure on us. We were aiming for 280, but they pulled it back. In the end, we fell 15 runs short. They bowled exceptionally well. Agha and I were trying to build a partnership, but they didn’t give us the right deliveries.
We kept our target at 280, not 300. My wicket was crucial. In terms of fielding, we need to improve. It’s an area where we are lacking. [Abrar] has made significant progress. The others need to improve as well. Regarding the 19th, we wanted to prepare for it, which is why we decided to bat first.” Rizwan said during the post-match presentation.