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Pakistan's reign under Shaheen Afridi in white-ball cricket has begun on an ominous note in the first T20I against New Zealand in Auckland. After electing to bowl first, the Men in Green have struggled to contain the Blackcaps, with their poor fielding not helping things one bit.
Recently coming off a whitewash defeat in Australia, where their fielding played a big role in the downfall, Pakistan proceeded to drop opposition skipper Kane Williamson twice, inside the first 10 overs itself.
Former skipper Babar Azam was the culprit behind the first dropped chance. He failed to hold onto the simple chance near the boundary off Abbas Afridi's bowling in the fifth over of the innings.
Iftikhar Ahmed dropped the second chance, giving Williamson yet another reprieve. The fielder did well initially at short third man as the batter tried to hit Usama Mir's delivery over him.
Iftikhar timed his jump to perfection to halt the ball's progression, but failed to hold onto the chance after multiple juggles, eventually spilling it. Both the dropped chances proved to be costly as Williamson went onto record a half century and setup a solid platform for the middle order to cash in.
Twitter did not spare Pakistan's fielding blunders, which have become routine, much to the team's chagrin. Here are some of the reactions on social media:
New Zealand reach close to the 200-run mark after 18 overs the first T20I against Pakistan
Shaheen Afridi had removed Devon Conway for a duck in the first over of the contest, but since then, it has been New Zealand who have reigned supreme. Following Kane Williamson's half-century, it was Daryl Mitchell's turn to dominate the proceedings. He scored 61 runs off 27 deliveries, which included four fours and four sixes to propel the hosts to the 200-run mark.
As things stand, New Zealand have scored 198-5 after 18 overs, with the duo of Mark Chapman and Adam Milne sharing the crease.
Despite the short boundaries and the flat pitch, the Men in Green will have a tough time chasing the score, and potentially avoid a series to begin their tour of New Zealand.
Who will win the first T20I between Pakistan and New Zealand? Let us know what you think.
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