"Destroying our team as captain" - Shaheen Afridi faces wrath of fans as Pakistan slump to 4th straight loss in T20I series vs New Zealand

Shaheen Afridi picked up three wickets in the fourth T20I.
Shaheen Afridi picked up three wickets in the fourth T20I.

Shaheen Afridi's miserable start to his T20I captaincy stint continued as Pakistan suffered a seven-wicket defeat to New Zealand in the fourth T20I at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Friday.

Pakistan failed to defend a 159-run target, slumping to their fourth successive loss against the Blackcaps. Shaheen helped his team get off to a fantastic start, claiming three early wickets with the new ball. However, the Men in Green failed to pick up a single wicket after the third over, surrendering to Daryl Mitchell's (72*) and Glenn Phillips' (70*) onslaught.

While several fans lauded Shaheen for his impressive first spell, many Pakistani supporters seemed worried about the pace spearhead's captaincy.

Here are some of the top reactions on social media to Shaheen Afridi's performance:

Mitchell and Phillips' unbeaten partnership of 139 took New Zealand to a comfortable victory. Pakistan let themselves down in the field, giving Mitchell two reprieves by missing chances in the 10th and 14th overs.


"If we grabbed our chances, we could have won this game" - Shaheen Afridi on 4th T20I loss

After being asked to bat first, Pakistan were off to a poor start, losing opener Saim Ayub cheaply. Mohammad Rizwan emerged as the lone warrior with an unbeaten knock of 90 runs as the remaining batters struggled to get going. Mohammad Nawaz's quickfire 21-run cameo towards the back end helped Pakistan reach 158.

Despite an early setback, the home side showed great resilience to win the match with 11 balls and seven wickets to spare.

Speaking after the match, skipper Shaheen Afridi suggested that his team would have been better placed to win the game had they set a total of 170. He further reckoned that the two dropped catches also had a big impact on the result.

"I think they way Rizwan gave us the start, it was very good unfortunately we couldn't grab the opportunity in middle overs," Shaheen stated. "I try to take wickets in the first over, I feel 170 was a good total on this pitch; if we grabbed our chances, we could have won this game."

Shaheen Afridi, who is still in search of his maiden win as Pakistan's T20I captain, will look to salvage some pride by finishing the series with a win. The fifth and final contest will take place at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Sunday, January 21.

Brand-new app in a brand-new avatar! Download CricRocket for fast cricket scores, rocket flicks, super notifications and much more! 🚀☄️

Quick Links