Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan has accepted that there is a need for improvement in the fielding department.
The Men in Green were not up to the mark in the field during their first warm-up game of the ICC World Cup 2023 against New Zealand in Hyderabad
"That's true we need to improve in our fielding department. We have been doing good in fielding over the course of time but fielding I think cost us the match too because the positions were different. However we need to work on it," Rizwan said while reviewing the game.
Pakistan looked good in batting but Rizwan highlighted that the team needs to improve in some areas ahead of the main event and these warm-up fixtures provide a great opportunity.
"The aim of warm-up matches is to see the areas where we need improvement. In this match we also experimented, we tried different things. We got good things in returns but also we got some areas which require improvement," Rizwan said.
"You have to play 15 players, you have to test the bench too; you also have to do some experiments. That's right, they [New Zealand] chased 346 but if you see it the other way round, Shaheen's ten overs, Haris Rauf's six overs, similarly Shadab's and Iftikhar's overs, so that was a change from our side. But we have got good returns too like Hassan's bowling, good innings from our batters," he further added.
Meanwhile, Rizwan acknowledged the favourable batting pitches in India and expressed confidence in their ability to read and adapt to the conditions.
"We had an idea that India has favourable batting pitches. We had in our minds that we'll read the conditions properly first. As far as my innings is concerned, any century irrespective of where it has been scored, it always matters and provides satisfaction and confidence for upcoming matches," he further added.
Remember, Pakistan lost to New Zealand by five wickets in their first warm-up match of the ICC World Cup 2023 in Hyderabad on September 29.
Babar Azam and Co. scored 345 runs while batting first, but not enough to win them the game, as the Black Caps successfully chased the target in just 43.4 overs.
Pakistani bowlers failed to live up to the expectations, and the overall performance of the Babar Azam-led team left many raising questions over its failure to defend the target.
Pakistan will play Australia on October 3 in their second warm-up match before commencing their World Cup campaign against the Netherlands on October 6.
- Mohammad Rizwan
