Pakistan's T20I captain Salman Agha reflects on defeat to NZ
What's the story
After a disappointing nine-wicket loss to New Zealand in the first T20I, Pakistan's newly appointed T20I captain, Salman Agha, admitted his team's poor performance.
The match witnessed three debutants - Hasan Nawaz, Abdul Samad, and Mohammed Ali - failing miserably on the field.
Despite their attempts to usher a new era of fearless cricket under Agha's captaincy, they could only score 91/10 against NZ.
While Nawaz and Smad flattered with the bat, Ali failed went wicketless with the ball.
Reflection
Agha acknowledges team's shortcomings
In the post-match presentation, Agha conceded that his team wasn't up to the mark during the match.
However, he was optimistic about future games, saying "the more debutants play, the more they will learn and improve."
While acknowledging their shortcomings, he stressed on regrouping ahead of the second T20I in Dunedin.
"But we need to regather (ahead of Dunedin, 2nd T20I)," he stated.
Match summary
New Zealand's pacers dominated the game
The New Zealand bowlers, Jacob Duffy and Kyle Jamieson, were instrumental in their team's win.
They shared seven wickets between them as the visiting team could never get going.
Although Salman Agha and Khushdil Shah offered a brief resistance with a 46-run stand, Pakistan were bundled out for a mere 91 runs.
This was Pakistan's lowest total in New Zealand, bettering their previous record of 101 runs at Wellington back in 2016.
Run chase
New Zealand's swift chase
New Zealand's Finn Allen and Tim Seifert started their run chase on an aggressive note, smashing a few fours and sixes.
They scored 53 runs for the loss of one wicket by the end of the powerplay.
The Kiwis chased down the target in just 61 balls, with Finn Allen and Tim Robinson taking them home with nine wickets to spare.
Jamieson was named 'Player of the Match' for his brilliant bowling display.
Recap
Dominant NZ crush Pakistan in 1st T20I
New Zealand registered a comprehensive nine-wicket win over Pakistan in the first match of their T20I series at the Hagley Oval.
The Black Caps easily chased down a paltry target of 92 runs in a mere 10.1 overs.
The defeat was a tough start for Pakistan as they enter a new era without former captain Babar Azam and wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan.
Kiwi bowlers, Jamieson and Duffy, were instrumental in this win, taking seven wickets between them.