New Zealand suffered a 21-run defeat (DLS method) at the hands of Pakistan in Match 35 of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 at Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru on Saturday (November 4).
This was New Zealand’s fourth successive loss in this World Cup, leaving the Kiwis in a must-win situation against Sri Lanka on November 9 and they will also have to keep the net run rate in mind as well.
Despite positing 401 on the board, the BlackCaps lost to Pakistan in a rain-marred affair, prompting skipper Kane Williamson to say that his team needed to "learn a few lessons".
“There's a lot left in this tournament for us. It's a frustrating result for us after so much of it going so well today. We need to move on and focus on our next challenge – take the positives, learn a few lessons,” said Williamson in the post-match press conference.
Williamson said his side will need to get some clarity in their thoughts ahead of the Sri Lanka match.
"The approach will be very similar. We can't rely on other teams as you get down to some small margins of whether it's run rate or your last match. Our focus is very much still on the cricket that we want to keep playing and adjusting to what's in front of us.
“We've done that in really positive ways and also being challenged at certain times which you fully expect in these sorts of competitions,” he stated.
Chasing 402 to win, Fakhar Zaman launched a brutal assault on the New Zealand bowlers right from the word go. The southpaw completed his half-century in 38 balls and then accelerated the run-scoring even further. As a result, he reached the three-figure mark in 63 balls – the fastest by a Pakistani batter in World Cup history.
The Men in Blue were 200/1 after 25.3 overs when the heavy rain started, forcing the cricketers to leave the playing arena. The game was eventually called off with Fakhar (126* off 81) and Babar (66* off 63) staying unbeaten.
Since Pakistan were 21 runs ahead of the DLS par score, they were declared winners in what was a virtual knock-out match for them.
“It was a great effort. A lot of really good partnerships. Guys understood that the surface was good, perhaps, better than it appeared, and we were able to get a really competitive total.
“The guys in the second half tried hard. It was tough, the weather perhaps didn't help, but we can't take anything away from the tasks that Pakistan had to try and achieve and they played beautifully,” Williamson said.
“Fakhar Zaman, when he's going, not many grounds are big enough, but certainly this one wasn't. He just hit it to all parts. So, credit to the way Pakistan came out and achieved what they did today,” he remarked.
(With PTI Inputs)
