Shaheen Shah Afridi and Imad Wasim’s excellent bowling figures, along with Haris Rauf’s impressive return to competitive cricket, were overshadowed by Jos Buttler’s sparkling half-century as England defeated Pakistan by 23 runs in the second T20I on Saturday.

Ahead of the 2nd T20I between England and Pakistan, Saj caught up with former Pakistan captain Aamir Sohail.

Shaheen Shah Afridi's remarkable bowling performance halted the hosts' momentum following their strong start, while half-centuries from Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan guided the visitors to chase down the target of 179 runs comfortably within the 17th over, marking Pakistan's first bilateral T20 series victory in more than 2 years.

The visiting team surged back into the series thanks to an impressive batting performance by Fakhar Zaman and Mohammad Rizwan during the pursuit of 194 runs, Azam Khan's brief yet impactful contribution also played a crucial role in sealing the chase.

Andy Balbirnie’s impressive innings laid the groundwork for Ireland’s triumphant five-wicket victory over Pakistan in the first T20I of the three-match series on Friday, marking only the second T20I encounter between the two nations.

With the upcoming T20I series against Ireland and England as well as the T20I World Cup2024 in perspective, Saj reviews how Pakistan performed in the recently concluded home series against a depleted New Zealand side which ended in a disappointing 2-2 result.

PakPassion member @The Bald Eagle analyses the selection of new separate Head Coaches for Pakistan, touching upon the challenges, opportunities and changes that may ensue after the selection of Gary Kirstein and Jason Gillespie as Pakistan's new white and red ball coaches respectively. 

Babar Azam stroked an entertaining half-century and Shaheen Shah Afridi produced a performance he is well-known for as Pakistan defeated New Zealand by nine runs in the fifth T20I to ensure the series ended in a two-all draw at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Saturday.

By PakPassion Staff (27th April 2024)

Mark Chapman’s unbeaten half-century led New Zealand to a comfortable seven-wicket win over Pakistan in the third T20I here at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Sunday night. The win levels the five T20Is at 1-1, with the remaining two matches scheduled to take place in Lahore on 25 and 27 April, respectively.

Pakistan and New Zealand faced off in the second T20I at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Saturday where the hosts' dominant performance backed by outstanding bowling from Shaheen Shah Afridi and Mohammad Amir led to a one-sided victory for Pakistan giving them a 1-0 lead in the series.