No one said it was going to be easy. But even the most pragmatic Pakistan cricket fans would not have expected such a painful beginning to a supposedly new era in their white-ball cricket.
Barring one match in the five-match T20 series in New Zealand which went their way, and in some style one must say, Pakistan struggled to compete as the hosts romped to a 4-1 series triumph on Wednesday.
It was the same story in the fifth T20 in Wellington as Pakistan struggled batting first, crawling to 128-9. Captain Salman Agha, leading a new-look team filled with promising youngsters, scored a fifty but it was not even close to being enough.
New Zealand chased down the target in exactly 10 overs with eight wickets in hand. Player of the series Tim Seifert (97 from 38 balls) completed the match by smashing experienced spinner Shadab Khan for four sixes, taking his match tally to 10.
Even for neutral fans, it was painful to watch Pakistan's young team be brushed aside by a New Zealand team missing many of their first-choice players due to the ongoing IPL.
Granted, Pakistan were expected to experience some difficulty having embarked upon a new path in their T20 journey, moving away from the tried and tested Babar Azam and Mohamad Rizwan and giving younger talent an opportunity.
But the manner of defeat in the New Zealand T20 series raises more concern than hope. The team in green got bowled out for 91 in the first match, conceded 200 twice, and did not look like containing New Zealand at any point, barring the third match.
There in Auckland, an audacious century by inexperienced opener Hasan Nawaz saw Pakistan chase down 205 in just 16 overs.
That match not only kept the series alive but also suggested Pakistan were warming up to the modern ethos of T20 batting. In the next match they were given another 200-plus target but were bowled out for 105.
The lopsided contest ended on Wednesday the same way it had started - Pakistan failing to get any momentum batting first and posting a sub-par total.
Seamer Jacob Duffy (2-18) started the rout when he removed Hasan for his third duck in the series, capping a strange outing for the opener.
The swing and bounce generated by New Zealand's frontline pacers was too much for Pakistan and they quickly found themselves 52-5. Captain Agha and Shadab put on 54 for the sixth wicket to add some respectability to the total.
Shadab made 28 off 20 balls while Salman hit 51 from 39. Both fell to all-rounder Jimmy Neesham, who finished with impressive figures of 5-22, his maiden five-wicket haul in T20Is.
Then Seifert ended the contest in double quick time, even threatening to score a century while chasing just 129.
After the match, captain Salman said the series was a steep learning curve.
"We had some positives and we will take away that. Hasan batted well, Sufiyan (Muqeem, spinner) did well. We know it's a young side. We will give them more games and when they have experience they will come good," the captain said.
It is the path ahead that looks treacherous for Pakistan. The main events on their radar are the Asia Cup in September and the T20 World Cup early next year in India and Sri Lanka.
Wednesday's series defeat is just the latest in a long list of painful setbacks for Pakistan, which includes embarrassing performances in the last two ICC events - the T20 World Cup and Champions Trophy - and regular defeats to non-Test playing nations.
While young players and teams need to be given as much time as they need, Pakistan must be careful as they can't afford to keep losing in the name of learning.
Already, there is a fear in Pakistan that if the T20 team, which is currently ranked seventh in the world, continues to lose, they could face the ignominy of playing World Cup qualifiers in the near future.
While that prospect is a long way away and unlikely to materialise, the fact that conversations like that are being had means it might be time to acknowledge the scale of their problems, while somehow still being patient with a young team.
Profile
Company name: Marefa Digital
Based: Dubai Multi Commodities Centre
Number of employees: seven
Sector: e-learning
Funding stage: Pre-seed funding of Dh1.5m in 2017 and an initial seed round of Dh2m in 2019
Investors: Friends and family
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
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Explainer: Tanween Design Programme
Non-profit arts studio Tashkeel launched this annual initiative with the intention of supporting budding designers in the UAE. This year, three talents were chosen from hundreds of applicants to be a part of the sixth creative development programme. These are architect Abdulla Al Mulla, interior designer Lana El Samman and graphic designer Yara Habib.
The trio have been guided by experts from the industry over the course of nine months, as they developed their own products that merge their unique styles with traditional elements of Emirati design. This includes laboratory sessions, experimental and collaborative practice, investigation of new business models and evaluation.
It is led by British contemporary design project specialist Helen Voce and mentor Kevin Badni, and offers participants access to experts from across the world, including the likes of UK designer Gareth Neal and multidisciplinary designer and entrepreneur, Sheikh Salem Al Qassimi.
The final pieces are being revealed in a worldwide limited-edition release on the first day of Downtown Designs at Dubai Design Week 2019. Tashkeel will be at stand E31 at the exhibition.
Lisa Ball-Lechgar, deputy director of Tashkeel, said: “The diversity and calibre of the applicants this year … is reflective of the dynamic change that the UAE art and design industry is witnessing, with young creators resolute in making their bold design ideas a reality.”
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Be creative and innovative to reduce expenses
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Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
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The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
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The Settlers
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