Mohammad Rizwan opens up after loss against New Zealand

Pakistan's captain Mohammad Rizwan spoke about the team's performance after their 78-run loss to New Zealand in the opening match of the tri-nation ODI series at Gaddafi Stadium on Saturday.

Rizwan acknowledged that although the defeat seemed tough, it wasn’t impossible. He highlighted that the pitch looked challenging when Pakistan was bowling, but praised Glenn Phillips for his outstanding batting performance. 

“When we lose, it looks difficult only. When we were bowling, the wicket looked a bit difficult. The way Phillips batted was outstanding,” Rizwan said.

Reflecting on his team’s performance, Rizwan emphasized the importance of focusing on areas of improvement, especially fielding. 

“When we focus on what we need to improve on, we need to work on our fielding,” Rizwan pointed out, underlining that good fielding could have made a difference in the game.

Regarding the team’s all-rounders, Rizwan mentioned that expectations need to be balanced. 

"If we play an all-rounder, we can't expect him to bowl ten overs. He can give us 5-6 overs," Rizwan explained, signaling the need for more realistic roles for the all-rounders in the team.

On the injury scare of pacer Haris Rauf, Rizwan provided a hopeful update. 

"There's no confirmation yet but it's not a serious injury," he said, offering relief to the team and fans.

Finally, Rizwan spoke about the need for better partnerships with the bat. 

"As a batting unit, we need to analyze the situation and bat accordingly. We need to stitch good partnerships when wickets are falling," Rizwan concluded, emphasizing the need for resilience and teamwork to turn the tide in future matches.

Glenn Phillips' century (106*) and Mitchell Santner's 3/41 powered New Zealand to a 78-run win over Pakistan in the opening match of the tri-nation ODI series at Gaddafi Stadium on Saturday.

Chasing 331, Pakistan were bowled out for 254, with Fakhar Zaman top-scoring with 84. Despite partnerships from Fakhar, Salman Ali Agha (40), and Tayyab Tahir (30), New Zealand's bowlers, led by Santner and Matt Henry (3/53), kept them in check.

Earlier, Phillips and Daryl Mitchell (81) helped New Zealand post 330/6. Shaheen Shah Afridi (3/88) and Abrar Ahmed (2/41) were Pakistan's top bowlers. New Zealand’s all-round performance gave them a strong start in the series opener.

New Zealand will face South Africa in the second match of the tri-nation series at Gaddafi Stadium on Monday.