Pakistan cricket team fast bowler Haris Rauf lost his cool during the post-match press conference following his team’s defeat against New Zealand in the second T20I encounter. Pakistan were outplayed once again by the hosts as the Salman Agha-led side slumped to a 5-wicket loss. During the presser, Rauf said that it is quite common in Pakistan to criticise their players and even went to claim that many people are waiting to see them lose just so that they can criticise their performances.
“It is now a common thing in Pakistan to criticise players. These are young players who have been given an opportunity. If you look at the rest of the teams, the youngsters are given full freedom,” Rauf said at the post-match press conference.
“They are given 10-15 games. When you first enter international cricket, you struggle. That goes without saying. It is now common in Pakistan. People are waiting to see us lose,” Rauf added.
New Zealand’s openers went on a six-hitting blitz on Tuesday to thrash Pakistan by five wickets and go 2-0 up in their Twenty20 series.
The home side reached 137-5 with 11 balls to spare in Dunedin to take control of the five-match series after Pakistan posted 135-9 off 15 overs in a rain-reduced second match.
New Zealand’s highlight was a ferocious opening stand between Tim Seifert and Finn Allen in which seven of the first eight scoring shots were sixes.
Remarkably, Seifert played out a maiden off Shaheen Shah Afridi’s opening over before Allen cleared the small University Oval boundary three times in the second over, bowled by Mohammad Ali.
Seifert then smashed 26 off Afridi’s second over, including four sixes.
Seifert, who top-scored with 44 in the nine-wicket win in Christchurch on Sunday, departed on 45 off 22 balls.
Allen fell soon afterwards for 38 off 16, with the openers hammering five sixes each.
(With AFP inputs)
