Black Caps vs Pakistan: Coach Misbah-ul-Haq greets revival of tour after start of horror

Napier’s sun may have blinded some outfield players and hitters, but Pakistan’s brave cricketers refused to let it set on their New Zealand cricket tour.

Coach Misbah-ul-Haq, who has scored thousands of runs for his country, took great pride in his team’s four-field victory over the Black Caps in the third Twenty20 international game on Tuesday night.

Even though Tim Southee and Kyle Jamieson managed three wickets on eight balls near the end, glove Mohammad Rizwan had 89 on 59 balls and Iftikhar Ahmed’s booming six ensured they chased 174 with two balls to spare.

New Zealand’s 11-game winning streak at home ended, but they raised their silverware for a 2-1 series win to a crowd of 6,493 at McLean Park.

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Well-versed in the challenges of touring, not much could have prepared Misbah for the accumulation of horror his team experienced upon arriving in New Zealand last month.

Several Covid-19 positives were followed by managed isolation breaches that caused them to issue a “last warning” by health officials and delayed their bubble training. Then captain and star player Babar Azam was ruled out of the T20 series and the first test with a fractured thumb, the same injury that happened to starter Imam-ul-Haq.

“Obviously it was a difficult series for us in terms of preparation, coming here and having only six days to prepare for this competitive cricket. It was tough for the guys but they responded well and gave their best and finally it was a good win for us, a much needed win to regain our confidence, ”said Misbah.

Pakistan showed enough in Auckland and Hamilton, especially on the ball, to show that they would be competitive. Then the fortunes of the tour team began to change when their A team, the Shaheens, beat New Zealand A in Whangarei.

Rizwan, newly appointed test skipper for Boxing Day in Babar’s absence, broke 10 four and three sixes, while veteran Mohammad Hafeez put Jimmy Neesham on the roof of the Harris Stand on his 41 of 29.

It was a strange night, and he had the now mandatory delay of the solar strike. He saw New Zealand hitters Glenn Phillips and Devon Conway pause for about five minutes as they plunged below the Chapman Stand, while Pakistani outfielder Haris Rauf had no idea where a Tim Seifert shot was going.

“They told us before the game and I had previous experience from my playing days, it happened and it was quite difficult. It wasn’t too long a break, ”Misbah said.

Now they bid farewell to the T20 specialists and head to Tauranga for the first test, their confidence rising as they try to stop the Black Caps’ 15-round undefeated streak at home.

Southee thanked the Pakistan team for their sacrifices to bring New Zealand cricket entertainment in front of crowds, amid a global pandemic.

The senior bowler intervened with two wickets on two balls in the penultimate over, with Pakistan needing 11 to win, and the Black Caps minus Ish Sodhi (hamstring) and Martin Guptill (severed finger) during a dramatic second inning.

“You never know in this game, as long as you keep taking ground, you have a chance,” Southee said.

After some early Tim Seifert missiles, Devon Conway outscored New Zealand with 63 of 45 balls on his 173-7 after being sent at bat.

Said Southee: “We thought we had enough [runs]It was a hard surface talking to hitters, so the way Devon played at the end gave us a real nose and a little spray came in that made the ball skid a bit more. But Pakistan played exceptionally well, especially Rizwan.

“We were probably a bit out of line. We set very high standards as a bowling group and there were a couple of big changes. If we could have minimized them, who knows with those late wickets. We needed more windows up front. “