Shahid Afridi praises Pakistan’s first ODI performance.

Shahid Afridi, interim chief selector for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), praised the performance of the men’s national side in the opening one-day match against New Zealand on Monday.

After the game, Afridi tweeted, “Congratulations to Babar and the entire squad for a fantastic effort.” At the National Bank Cricket Arena in Karachi, Pakistan trounced the visiting team by six wickets to take a 1-0 series lead after the first game.

The former all-around athlete gushed over Babar and his leadership. Afridi continued, “Today we were well led and outplayed NZ in all categories. “Great day for Haris Sohail, Usama Mir, Babar Azam, Naseem Shah, and (Mohammad) Rizwan. Fakhar (Zaman) also got things going well. I hope we maintain that strategy for the second ODI.

Naseem Shah received the Player of the Match award for his five-wicket performance. Babar and Fakhar each got half century, while Rizwan’s unbeaten 77 was the highest total. On Wednesday at the same location, Pakistan will play New Zealand in the second One-Day International.

Congratulations to Babar and the entire team for an outstanding effort. performance! Today we were well led and outplayed NZ in all departments. Great day for Babar, Naseem, Usama, Haris and Rizwan. Fakhar also gave a good start. Hope we continue the same way in 2nd ODI. #PAKvNZ

— Shahid Afridi (@SAfridiOfficial) January 9, 2023