Mohammad Rizwan addresses Haris Rauf's injury after 78-run thumping from New Zealand, says 'no confirmation yet but it's not...'

Mohammad Rizwan-led Pakistan cricket team suffered a massive 78-run defeat at the hands of Mitchell Santner's New Zealand in the 1st ODI match of the ongoing tri-series between them and South Africa which was being played at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, on February 8 (Saturday). Pakistan was dealt a severe setback during this game as in the first innings star pacer Haris Rauf who was appearing good left the field after bowling just 6.2 overs.

Rizwan on Haris Rauf's injury

Rauf stroked his hip and gave him a discomfited look before leaving. He twisted his ankle, according to reports in Pakistani media, however, the exact form and extent of the injuries are still unknown. Rauf who walked out on the first innings did not come out to bat as well. Rizwan said there's no confirmation on the injury yet but it does not appear to be serious.

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"When we lose, it looks difficult only. When we were bowling, the wicket looked a bit difficult. The way Phillips batted was outstanding. When we focus on what we improve on, we need to work on our fielding. If we play an all-rounder, we can't expect him to bowl ten overs, he can give us 5-6 overs. (On Haris Rauf's injury) There's no confirmation yet but it's not a serious injury. As a batting unit, we need to analyse the situation and bat. We need to stitch good partnerships when wickets are falling," said Rizwan in the post-match presentation.

New Zealand beat Pakistan

The New Zealand side posted 330/6 in their fifty overs with the help of crucial knocks from Kane Williamson (58 off 89 balls) and Dary Mitchell (81 off 81 balls). However, it was Glenn Phillips who smashed his maiden ODI century, was the real game changer as he also made runs at a quick pace. His unbeaten knock of 106 runs off just 74 balls put the visitors on top.

As for Pakistan, their batting especially their star batters Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan disappointed a lot. Matt Henry and captain Mitchell Santner picked three wickets each. Michael Bracewell settled with 2 scalps to his name, while Phillips got one and also got awarded with Player of the Match.

If it was not for Fakhar Zaman's quick 84 off 69 balls and quick cameos from Salman Agha (40 off 51 balls) and Tayyab Tahir (30 off 29 balls), the loss margin for Pakistan would have been much bigger.