Pakistan suffered a comprehensive 45-run defeat at the hands of New Zealand in the third T20I in Dunedin on Wednesday (January 17). With this loss, the visitors conceded an unassailable 3-0 lead to the Kiwis in the five-match series

Chasing 225 to win, the Men in Green managed only 179/7 in their allotted 20 overs. Babar Azam waged a lone battle with the bat for Pakistan, scoring 58 off 37 balls with 8 fours and 1 six.

It was Babar’s third consecutive half-century of the series and Pakistan’s T20I skipper Shaheen Afridi lauded his predecessor after the game.

“I had said it earlier as well that Babar was not out of form. We cannot judge him on the basis of a few innings,” Shaheen said, referring to Babar’s low scores on the recent Test tour of Australia.

Babar Azam managed to aggregate 126 runs from three Tests Down Under at an average of 21, while the right-hander has made 181 runs at an average of 60.33 in the current T20I series against New Zealand.

“He has played three fine innings in three matches in the series,” Shaheen added in praise of Babar.

Meanwhile, Shaheen Afridi defended his teammates, especially Haris Rauf and Saim Ayub, after losing his first T20I series as captain.

Rauf had a forgettable outing as he gave away 60 runs in his four-over quota while picking up a couple of wickets. His expensive spell largely contributed to New Zealand's mammoth total of 224/7 in 20 overs.

However, Shaheen defended Haris, saying that the ground dimensions were small and anybody can have a bad day with the ball.

“When you win then people say you're the best player; when you lose then people say you can't do anything. Today, Matt Henry went for 50-plus runs, and he's New Zealand's best bowler. This sometimes happens in T20 cricket on such small grounds. We do think that we didn't bowl well collectively. Haris was hit for runs on good balls too, but he's our best bowler and has the most wickets for Pakistan," the captain stated.

Young opener Saim Ayub, whose inclusion forced Babar Azam to drop to No. 3, has failed to make a mark in three T20Is so far, registering scores of 27, 1 and 10.

"Saim can be a very big star. He has the ability and hunger to do well for Pakistan. He always gives his best, even in the nets. In these conditions, it's not always easy for a young kid. We need to give him some time,” Shaheen remarked.

The fourth T20I between Pakistan and New Zealand is due to be held in Christchurch on Friday (January 19).