Former Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board Ramiz Raja says Pakistan's defeat against New Zealand in the third T20I was embarrassing.

Mark Chapman hit a robust half-century to help an under-strength New Zealand to a shock seven-wicket victory over Pakistan.

The 29-year-old left-hander smashed a 42-ball 87 to anchor New Zealand’s chase of the 179-run target in 18.2 overs against the much-vaunted Pakistan bowling attack, silencing a packed 16,000-holiday crowd.

Shadab Khan (41) and Babar Azam (37) were the main contributors in Pakistan’s 178-4 after the hosts were sent into bat by New Zealand.

Tim Robinson hit 28 off 19 balls and Tim Seifert 21 off 16 to set the tone for New Zealand’s chase.

New Zealand were strongly placed at 53-2 in the sixth over before Chapman and Dean Foxcroft (31) took over, adding a solid 117-run in a third wicket partnership to square the five-match series at 1-1.

"Losing is a part of cricket, but such a defeat shakes the foundation a bit, especially with the World Cup just around the corner," said Ramiz on his YouTube channel [as quoted by Cricket Pakistan].

"Playing at home, on your favorite surface, against a team that isn't even a complete side - not a first-tier or even a second-tier New Zealand team - makes it an embarrassing loss.

"Let's admit that in T20, anyone's luck can change, but such a drastic turn of tables within 24 hours is a blow to Pakistan's reputation. For some time now, there has been a notion that you can expect anything from Pakistan on a given day.

"Just 24 hours ago, Pakistan defeated them by 7 wickets, and 24 hours later, they themselves suffered a 7-wicket defeat. This should not happen.

"The batsmen who are set should not get out after scoring just 20-30 runs. That's why the score is only 180. This pitch is worth at least 250 runs, as we know how many runs have been scored here before.

"Pakistan scored fewer runs, and no one played a long innings. The bowling performance was also quite mediocre. The frontline bowlers, Naseem Shah and Shaheen Shah Afridi had a very dull day," he concluded.

The final two matches are in Lahore on April 25 and 27.

Both teams are preparing for June’s T20 World Cup in the United States and the West Indies.