WELLINGTON: Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha admitted his team was comprehensively outplayed as New Zealand wrapped up a dominant 4-1 T20I series victory with an eight-wicket win in the final match at Sky Stadium yesterday.

“They were outstanding. They outplayed us in the whole series,” Salman acknowledged after Pakistan’s struggles continued in the decider. Despite the heavy defeat, Salman pointed out positive individual performances from younger players. “There were plenty of positives. The way Hasan and Haris batted in Auckland, the way Sufiyan bowled today,” he said.

Pakistan’s batting faltered again in the final match, posting just 128/9 in their 20 overs.

The captain Salman top-scored with a resilient 51, but a five-wicket haul from Jimmy Neesham (5/22) and explosive batting from Tim Seifert (97* off 38) powered New Zealand to victory in just 10 overs.

Looking ahead to the upcoming ODI series, Salman expressed optimism, emphasizing the experience in the 50-over squad. “It’s a completely different team in the ODIs. More experience.

They have played in NZ before. It will be a different ball game,” he concluded. Looking ahead to future challenges, Salman reflected on the team's focus coming into the series, mentioning that the attention was more on upcoming tournaments.

"When we were coming in here, the focus was on the Asia Cup and the World Cup," he said.  "I did alright. It doesn't matter when you lose the series," he further added.

Published in The Daily National Courier, March, 27 2025

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