Babar Azam, the former captain of Pakistan, scored three consecutive fifties in the first three matches of the T20I series against New Zealand, showing a return to form. Unfortunately, despite his efforts, the 29-year-old did not receive enough support from the other batters in these games.
In a noteworthy statistic, Babar Azam became the first Asian batter to achieve three consecutive fifties in a losing cause during a bilateral series, and overall, he is the third player to accomplish this feat. Nicholas Pooran of West Indies was the first to do so against India in 2022, followed by Leslie Dunbar of Serbia against Bulgaria in the same year.
In the recent match, Finn Allen played a crucial role as New Zealand secured a 45-run victory, clinching the T20I series in Dunedin. Allen’s outstanding performance saw him smashing 137 runs in 62 balls, setting a challenging target of 225 runs for Pakistan.
Despite Babar Azam’s third consecutive fifty in the series, scoring 58 off 37 balls, Pakistan fell short in the chase. The team reached 95 for two in the 11th over, but a series of wickets and only 39 runs added derailed their pursuit. Mohammad Nawaz contributed 28 runs in 15 balls, Mitchell Santner bowled an economical spell taking one wicket for 26 runs, and Allen’s exceptional innings marked the highest individual score for New Zealand in men’s T20Is, surpassing Brendon McCullum’s previous record of 123, and hitting a joint-most sixes (16) in an innings in men’s T20Is.
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