Pakistan vs. New Zealand: Shaheens’ Suffer T20I Series Defeat Directly After Champions Trophy 2025 Disappointment
by Devesh Jaganath | by Devesh Jaganath
Pakistan Tour Of New Zealand: A Tournament Of Major Lows
It has been a draining month for New Zealand and Pakistan. The Black Caps are still recovering from their taxing run and eventual loss to India in the Champions Trophy final, while the Shaheens are trying to give their fans a reason to believe again after yet another early exit from a major ICC event.
As it turns out, the Kiwis have come away from their most recent T20I series with more to be optimistic about, having beaten Pakistan 4-1 despite playing without several of their best players, who have either been rested to manage workloads or are currently competing in the mega-money Indian Premier League.
For Pakistan, it’s a case of another tour and another major disappointment. The Green Shirts have once again done what we’ve become all too accustomed to seeing from them - playing brilliant limited-over cricket in one moment and then looking like a tier-two (or three) team almost immediately after.
This was perfectly displayed over the last couple of weeks, when the Shaheens pulled off the fastest 200+ run chase to keep the series alive after losing the first two games, only to suffer a record 115-run defeat 48 hours later, giving the hosts an unassailable 3-1 lead in the series.
With the outcome of the series already decided, the fifth match on Wednesday was a dead rubber, but as it turned out, it was perhaps the Green Shirts’ worst performance of the competition, as they crumbled to an eight-wicket defeat. So what has really gone wrong for once-great Pakistan?
Changing Personnel Doesn’t Guarantee Wins
It has now been eight years since Pakistan last won a major trophy. During that time, they have suffered three consecutive group-stage exits at ICC tournaments, with the most recent being at the Champions Trophy. Additionally, the Shaheens have also endured losses to teams like the USA, Ireland, and Afghanistan - all defeats that would have been unthinkable a decade ago.
Over the last 10 years, every poor series or tournament outcome has seen the Pakistan Cricket Board revert to one solution - using players as scapegoats! This became evident when they practically forced Babar Azam into resigning as captain after the 2023 World Cup and opted to hand the armband to Shaheen Afridi, who had only played a single series at the time.
Azam was brought back ahead of the T20 World Cup last year but stepped down after another disastrous tournament showing, and Mohammad Rizwan suffered the same fate after the Champions Trophy, with Salman Agha now leading the side. However, if the team loses the upcoming ODI series, you would have to wonder how much longer he will continue in the role.
Can Pakistan Turn Things Around?
The simple answer is yes! However, it will not be easy. Solving the problem needs to start with embedding consistency - not just with the team on the field, but behind the scenes as well. Indeed, in just the last three years alone, Pakistan have had a total of eight different head coaches, and more astonishingly, 28 national team selectors!
How can a team identify issues and rectify them if their head coach doesn’t last more than six months? How can a new head coach impact a player when that player has already been coached by eight different individuals in the last 36 months? Unless the PCB can provide this team with some stability, the sad reality is that Pakistani cricket could be doomed.
Pakistan will look to change their fortunes in the upcoming three-match ODI series, getting underway on Saturday, so be sure to check out our cricket predictions ahead of the toss.
