Waqar “not really worried” about Pak’s dismal start in New Zealand

AUCKLAND - Unperturbed by Pakistan’s miserable five-wicket loss to Auckland in the tour-opening Twenty20 match, cricket coach Waqar Younis has expressed the hope that the next match will be a “different ball game”.

Pakistan failed to bat out its 20 overs when making 90, a total picked off by Auckland in 13.2 overs in the warm-up match at Colin Maiden Park on Thursday.

“It wasn’t the ideal start but that happens sometimes when you’ve just arrived in the country and when you don’t really know much about the pitch conditions. I’m not really worried about it,” The Nation quoted Waqar, as saying.

He said that he wanted more practice for the team, and that they were headed straight back onto the field to get back into action after the loss.

“We’re really keen to do well at the international level,” he said, adding that the batting had been undergoing a good deal of work, but the batsmen failed to click in the game.

Pakistan’s next match is the first of three Twenty20 internationals against New Zealand on Boxing Day.

“I think they’ve learned the lesson and hopefully in the next game, it will be a different ball game,” Waqar said.

The coach said that his team would work over the next two days to give a better performance.

“We have done badly today and we have spoken about it. We have to work over the next couple of days so that we don’t repeat with a similar performance,” Waqar said. (ANI)