Last Updated on 1 month by Charbel Coorey
Pakistan T20I captain Mohammad Rizwan has been criticised for his 62-ball 74 that ultimately saw his team fall short in the first T20I against South Africa in Durban. Chasing 184, Pakistan were never really in the hunt despite a promising powerplay, with Rizwan – striking below 100 for much of his innings – putting pressure on the other Pakistani batsmen.
Rizwan was 15 off 19 balls at the end of the powerplay. Saim Ayub’s brisk innings helped Pakistan reach a respectable 55/1 at the end of six overs. However, the visitors struggled for any momentum thereafter, with Rizwan crawling to 36 off 44 balls at one point before reaching his half-century off 50 balls.
Commentator and former Pakistan batsman Ramiz Raja came in for criticism regarding his view of Pakistan’s innings. Ayub, who hit 31 off 15 balls, was called to have more calmness. “He needs to be calm, he just needed to play sensible cricket,” Raja said. When Rizwan was dismissed in the final over, Raja said “a very good innings comes to an end. He [Rizwan] fought right till the end.”
Fans criticise Mohammad Rizwan for 74 off 62 balls in T20I loss to South Africa in Durban
Last month, left-arm pacer Mohammad Amir said Rizwan needs to play with more freedom. “Even though Mohammad Rizwan is so brave and captaining like a warrior, in batting he does seem stuck. He should play freely, he is the captain, he should play with a fresh mind and perform,” Amir said, as quoted by Cricket Pakistan.
“You score 36 off 44 balls, pile pressure on your team-mates and then attack when it’s too late. Not very clever batting,” wrote well-known journalist Saj Sadiq on X.
Here are some more reactions to Rizwan’s innings of 74 that played a huge role in Pakistan’s defeat in the opening T20I.
Earlier, the ageless David Miller (82 off 40 balls) and George Linde (48 off 24 balls) propelled South Africa to 183/9. Linde then won man of the match for his superb spell of 4/21 to help the Proteas take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series.
