Babar Azam's T20 World Cup 'hope' after trailing 1-2 against depleted New Zealand side: 'We are trying something new...'

Babar Azam, the captain of the Pakistan cricket team, remains optimistic despite the team's defeat to New Zealand in the fourth T20I match on Thursday. The right-handed batter emphasised that the team is experimenting with new strategies in each game as they prepare for the upcoming T20 World Cup in 2024. Pakistan's captain Babar Azam speaks during a press conference at the Gaddafi Cricket Stadium(AFP)

He acknowledged that the team is facing criticism following their loss to New Zealand, but he remains undeterred, focusing on the bigger picture of settling the team before the T20 World Cup commences.

HT launches Crick-it, a one stop destination to catch Cricket, anytime, anywhere. Explore now!

"We are trying something new and different in every game. Hopefully, we will be settled before going for the T20 World Cup," Babar said.

The challenge for Pakistan has been evident as they faced a competitive New Zealand side despite the absence of key players who are participating in the Indian Premier League. The expectation of dominating the series at home has not been met, with Pakistan trailing 1-2 with one match left to play.

The match against New Zealand saw Pakistan opting to bowl first after winning the toss. Despite a strong start by the Kiwi openers, the Pakistan bowlers managed to make a comeback, restricting New Zealand to a manageable total of 178/7 in their 20 overs.

In response, Fakhar Zaman's impressive innings of 61 off 45 balls provided hope for Pakistan in their run chase. However, the team fell short, finishing at 174/8 and losing the match by four runs.

“They started nicely but our bowlers made a good comeback, we stuck to a length. In the first six overs, we lost quite a number of wickets. Fakhar's innings was outstanding, unfortunately, we couldn't chase it down, Imad also played good innings,” Babar noted.

"It was a different surface, the average score here is 190 and we did well to restrict them and it was a chaseable total. Our youngsters did well." Babar added.

Babar Azam returned as Pakistan's captain last month, months after he has stepped down from the role following a disappointing outing at the T20 World Cup. Shaheen Afridi was named the skipper of the side following Babar's resignation; however, the fast bowler's stint lasted only three months. While Babar holds the leadership role in both white-ball formats, Shan Masood currently retains the captaincy in Test cricket.

Click here to read article