Naseem credits team's execution for victory against New Zealand

Pakistan fast bowler Naseem Shah bags yet another five-wicket haul to register a win in the first ODI against New Zealand at the National Bank Cricket Arena, Karachi.

During the press conference, Naseem Shah said that this victory was a reward for us based on our performance.

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"We simply planned to ball according to our strength, and we did that; we executed our plan, and in the end, God helped us with this win," said Naseem.

When asked about from all the three-formats, which format will you try to prioritise to prolong your career, Naseem said, "I enjoy playing cricket and my bowling, whether it is Test, ODI or T20 and day by day, I try to improve myself, and it's my goal to play well in all the three-formats and perform well for my team and try to win matches for them."

"Test cricket helps in improving your bowling skills for ODI and T20 because of the shortest format, and indeed in the pressure games like the Pakistan Super League (PSL), I also played county cricket which helped me a lot, and apart from that, I always try to improve my skills whether it is any of the formats and I try and try to be consistent in my performances," he maintained. 

When asked about the pitch conditions when the Test series was being played and the conditions during the ODI, the pacer said, " to be honest, the pitch was good, credit goes to everyone who performed, either it is Wasim or Usama Mir, Nawaz, everybody bowled brilliantly. We took advantage of the grip and swing that helped us, and our batters performed brilliantly." 

The Men in Green opt to field first after winning the toss and decided to bat first. It was Naseem Shah who struck early wickets of the Blackcaps alongside debutant Usama Mir who took the main wickets of Tom Latham and skipper Kane Williamson.

The New Zealand team scored 255 runs after losing nine wickets; in reply, Pakistan started perfectly with their three-star batters Fakhar Zaman, skipper Babar Azam, and Mohammad Rizwan, each scoring half-centuries.

Haris Sohail, who returned to the national side after more than two years, scored 23-ball 32 runs, including two fours and two massive sixes.

Naseem Shah was awarded player of the Match for his outstanding performance with the ball. The second ODI will be played at the National Bank Cricket Arena on January 11, 2023.

Naseem Shah's press conference at the National Bank Cricket Arena.

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