Follow UsPakistan kicked off their T20 International (T20I) era without Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan on a sorry note as they were bundled out for just 91 in the first T20I against New Zealand in Christchurch on March 16 (Sunday).
Babar (4,223) and Rizwan (3,414) are Pakistan's leading run-getters in T20Is. But the duo were dropped from the shortest format while being included for the three-match One-Day International (ODI) series that follows the T20Is
Led by Salman Agha, Pakistan went on to register their fifth-lowest total in T20I history and their lowest against New Zealand.
74 vs Australia, Dubai, 2012
82 vs West Indies, Mirpur, 2014
83 vs India, Mirpur, 2016
89 vs England, Cardiff, 2010
91 vs New Zealand, Christchurch, 2025
New Zealand chased down the target with nine wickets and 59 deliveries to spare. Only on seven other occasions have New Zealand chased down a target in T20Is faster than this.
The Blackcaps' fastest run-chase came against England in Chattogram (2014) and against Uganda in Tarouba (2024) when they chased their target down with 88 balls to spare. Pakistan have now lost four T20Is in a row as a result. Their last win came against Zimbabwe in December 2024.
Things are going from bad to worse for Pakistan, who would have hoped for some respite after crashing out of the Champions Trophy without a single victory. They have a chance to bounce back in the second T20I in Dunedin on March 18 (Tuesday).