Following Pakistan’s crushing 84-run defeat to New Zealand in the second ODI at Seddon Park, Pakistan’s wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan acknowledged the challenges his team faced during the game.
Speaking during the post-match media talk, Rizwan conceded that Pakistan’s performance was far from ideal.
“It is sore, but it’s part of the game. We didn’t do well today. We didn’t utilize the swing effectively, and New Zealand bowled very well."
Later on, Faheem and Naseem fought well for us. These are challenging conditions, but we can’t make excuses. We are professional cricketers, and we need to do something different,” Rizwan said, addressing the team’s overall struggles.
Rizwan also praised New Zealand's disciplined bowling attack, which proved difficult for Pakistan’s top order to counter.
“The bowlers of New Zealand were very disciplined; they bowled the hard lengths. In the last couple of months, we’ve lost key moments. Today, we didn’t perform well with the ball or the bat in the first 10 overs. Credit to Mitch Hay as well; the way he batted was amazing,” Rizwan added.
He also admitted that the team was unsure about the pitch conditions in Tauranga, where the final ODI is set to take place, but assured that the team would adapt accordingly.