Abu Dhabi: Pakistan’s inability to seal a series once again came to the fore when they lost to New Zealand by 68 runs in the fifth One Day International (ODI) at the Shaikh Zayed Cricket Stadium on Friday. The result also left them without an ODI series win this year – they had earlier lost to Sri Lanka 2-1 and then Australia 3-0.
And what was worth worrying was that it was their 12th defeat in the final match of a series after they were tied at 1-1 or 2-2.
With the World Cup lurking, this was unacceptable for Coach Waqar Younis and he was bombarded with questions - from team combination, to captaincy and even their so-called strong bowling unit that came under immense scrutiny. Even as Younis battled through the barrage of queries, chief of selectors and team manager Moin Khan stood tightlipped in one corner, only to later leave the room saying he would meet the media once the team lands in Pakistan.
The coach was of the view that there was no need to lose ‘hope’ and things aren’t that worrying as it is made to be.
“We tried Younis Khan at No 3 and No 4 as it was important for him to regain form. Asad Shafiq was also tried and even all the bowlers were given a look-in. We have only lost a match and so one has to keep faith in the side. Let’s hope everything will fall into place as the world rests on hope,” said a dejected looking Younis.
The coach went on to reveal that the objective set by him for the team for this series was not met fully but he was pretty pleased with the progress.
“We have not achieved 100 per cent but more or less. I think there were a couple of big question marks which we have managed to clear. The domestic ODI tournament is also there and in that many more things will be cleared.”
Younis said it was unfair to write off any player just because of this result as some of them were outstanding during the Tests.
“In the Test series you managed to see the talent of a few players. In ODI also, we won two matches and I believe we do have a quality side. Unfortunately, there were a few injuries and that dented our chances severely. We have a month before the World Cup and hopefully, the players would have recovered by then. I strongly back the Pakistan side to do well at the World Cup.”
New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson, on the other hand, was extremely pleased with the showing of his side given the fact that they achieved the result in alien conditions and with limited resources. The triumph was more appreciable as they missed their frontline bowlers – Trent Boult and Tim Southee.
“We did expect to do well despite the several injuries to our guys. However, it provided opportunities to others which they took and that was really important for us. It was a really really good series win for us,” said Williamson, who amassed 346 runs in this series including an important century in the fourth ODI.
“There is still a lot of time for the World Cup and the conditions there are different. But, it was nice to bounce back after a couple of loses. It was an extremely close series so it was good to see a positive result. There were some forced changes in this last match due to injuries and that was the main thing that stood out and contributed in different roles,” revealed Williamson, whose team now gears up for a home series against Sri Lanka next.
