‘We weren’t upto the mark’ – Pakistan T20I skipper Salman Ali Agha after first loss vs New Zealand

Pakistan’s white ball cricket began a new era over the weekend, and it was already quite noisy as they lost to New Zealand in the first of five Twenty20 Internationals on Sunday by a loping nine-wicket margin.

The match, which came before the 2026 T20 World Cup build-up and followed Pakistan’s poor home showing in the 50-over Champions Trophy, saw Salman Ali Agha captain a revamped Pakistan team for the first time.

The 92-run goal was comfortably brought down by New Zealand with only one run lost thanks to Tim Siefert’s 44 runs in 29 balls and Finn Allen’s 29 runs from 17 balls. In the first of five Twenty20 Internationals between New Zealand and Pakistan, Tim Robinson, who scored 18 runs, came to bat after losing one wicket of Tim Siefert. He struck two runs on the first ball of the eleventh over to give New Zealand the victory.

“It was challenging; we didn’t perform well, but we must regroup (before Dunedin).” They bowled incredibly well in excellent spots, and there was some seam movement. We’re going to sit down, talk, and plan the next game. We had three debutants, and they will learn more the more games they play.

We have good bowlers, the new ball does a little in New Zealand, and we’ll try to do well in the next game,” Salman Ali Agha said during the post-match presentation.

The trio of Ish Sodhi, Jacob Duffy, and Kyle Jamieson put on a sensational bowling show that smashed Pakistan’s batting order and held them to just 91. The New Zealanders easily reached the 92/1 in just 10.1 overs as they chased the target in reply. During the post-match presentation, Kyle Jamieson, the player of the match, also discussed his opinions on the game.