Abdul Samad focuses on improvement after Pakistan's T20I loss against New Zealand

Pakistan's young middle-order batter, Abdul Samad, stressed the importance of continuous improvement and learning from defeats after Pakistan's crushing 115-run loss to New Zealand in the fourth T20I on Sunday.

Chasing a daunting target of 221, Pakistan's batting order collapsed under pressure, getting bowled out for just 105 runs. The team’s top three batters—Mohammad Haris (2), Hasan Nawaz (1), and skipper Salman Ali Agha (1)—were dismissed quickly within the first two overs, leaving Pakistan in a precarious position.

Pakistan's vice-captain, Shadab Khan, was also dismissed cheaply for just one run in the fourth over, leaving the team at 26-4 after 4.1 overs. Despite Abdul Samad’s fighting 44 off 30 balls, Pakistan continued to lose wickets regularly and were ultimately bowled out for a low total in 16.2 overs.

Samad, who was the only bright spot in an otherwise dismal batting performance, commented on the change in playing conditions during the match. He noted how the conditions were challenging for the bowlers during the first innings, with no swing or seam movement, but that the batting conditions seemed to offer more assistance later.

“We noticed things were different here. We did not get much help while bowling first—no swing or seam. But when we were batting, the conditions were evidently different. So, that was also part of our learning,” Samad said during the post-match press conference.

The 27-year-old acknowledged that the conditions were not ideal for the team but emphasized the purpose behind selecting a young squad for this tour: to test their potential and prepare them for the future.

“Everybody knows that the conditions here are not favorable for us. But the idea behind selecting a young team for this tour is to test their talent. It was a challenge for us (youngsters), and we accepted it,” Samad explained.

Looking forward, Samad remained optimistic about the team's progress, stating that with each match, they were improving. 

“By the will of Almighty Allah, there will be more improvement in the upcoming matches. We are improving day by day,” Samad said.

“We are developing into a team and will deliver good results in the future,” he concluded.