Shaheen Afridi’s viral rant, “Afraid, Tensed”, questions whether the Pakistani team has a mental health issue. The Pakistan cricket team’s T20I captaincy under Shaheen Afridi did not get off to a good start at all. Pakistan lost to New Zealand by 46 runs on Friday. Tim Southee, who led New Zealand’s “nasty fasties” to a 46-run victory over Pakistan in their series opener in Auckland, became the first player to reach 150 wickets in Twenty20 internationals.
In response to New Zealand’s formidable 226-8, veteran seam bowler Southee grabbed four wickets to surpass the milestone and assist in dismissing the tourists for 180 in the 18th over, giving them the upper hand in the five-match series. Following the defeat, a video featuring a senior journalist criticizing the Pakistani team went viral.
After a run-heavy match at Eden Park, Southee’s best-ever stats of 4-25 helped him reach 151 wickets in T20 internationals, 11 more than Bangladeshi spinner Shakib Al Hasan.
After Babar Azam fell in the 17th over, he completed the job as Pakistan’s run chase collapsed. The former skipper had raced to 57 off 35 balls to keep his side in the game.
There were starts for openers Saim Ayub (27) and Mohammad Rizwan (25) but Azam struggled to get assistance from his teammates before being caught at cover by skipper Kane Williamson off Ben Sears’ bowling. Williamson claimed that Southee’s worth during his 16-year career was immeasurable.
Shaheen stated that before Sunday’s second game in Hamilton, changes will be required. We’re running out of time. We need to get better as a bowling unit and know when to employ our variations,” he stated.
“There were misfields in the middle overs, despite the excellent play of Mitchell and Kane Williamson. We must make those catches, and we must improve as a fielding team.
