Mohammad Rizwan scored 90 off 63 balls in the fourth T20I against New Zealand but Former Pakistan cricketer Sikandar Bakht reckons it was a selfish innings from Rizwan and he should have batted with a better strike rate. Pakistan posted a total of 158/5 in their 20 overs with Rizwan being unbeaten on 90 after facing 63 deliveries which is more than half of the Pakistan innings. Mohammad Rizwan should have accelerated in the end of the innings according to Sikandar Bakht.
Mohammad Rizwan on the other hand criticised the fast bowlers for not being able to take wickets and blamed them for the loss against New Zealand. The BlackCaps have won four straight games against the Men in Green in the ongoing five-match T20I series. Pakistan has yet to win a single game since their victory against New Zealand in the ODI World Cup 2023.
During a TV show, Sikandar Bakht criticized Mohammad Rizwan’s innings, calling it a selfish knock. He said that Rizwan’s innings reminded him of the Asia Cup 2022 finals where Pakistan was chasing 160 against Sri Lanka and when Rizwan came to bat the required rate was 8 and when he left after 16 overs, it reached 18. He also targeted him for scoring only four runs in the four balls he faced in the last over.
Sikandar Bakht said, “Mohammad Rizwan’s innings reminded me of his Asia Cup (2022) finals innings where we were chasing 160 and when he started to bat the required rate was 8 and when he departed after 16 overs, the required rate touched 18. The analysis I made on his strike rate was that he made 90 off 63 balls and in the last match, Finn Allen made 137 in 62 balls. We can’t do anything if our players don’t bat like this (Allen’s innings).”
Watch- Sikandar Bakht Lashing Out At Mohammad Rizwan For Playing A Selfish Knock
Sikandar Bakht says Mohammad Rizwan played a selfish innings, just as he did in the 2022 Asia Cup final against Sri Lanka 🤯
Do you agree? #NZvsPAK pic.twitter.com/Akd7uqklIW
— Farid Khan (@_FaridKhan) January 19, 2024
“In the last over, Rizwan played four balls and scored just four runs. He did not even try to hit a ball for a six or a boundary, this is blatant selfishness. I’m sorry, he may not like my choice of words but he is selfish. You are playing for Pakistan, playing the last over, batting on 90. You have played 20 overs, the ball should occur to you as a football and you didn’t even hit a single boundary?” added Bakht.
Sikandar Bakht also criticized the batting done by Mohammad Rizwan, Fakhar Zaman, and Iftikhar Ahmed in the middle overs. The three experienced players could manage to hit just one boundary between the 6th and the 14th over of the Pakistan innings.
He said, “In the Middle overs, Rizwan, Iftikhar and Fakhar were batting. These three players batted between the 6th over and the 14th over and they could manage just one boundary, no sixes, nothing other than just singles and doubles. If we bat in this style how will we reach 170?”
Pakistan will face New Zealand in the fifth and last T20I of the series at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch. The BlackCaps have already won the series with a 4-0 lead but they would like to whitewash the Men in Green and take revenge for the 2022 semi-final defeat in the T20 World Cup. Meanwhile, the new era for the Pakistan team is looking shambolic as both the new captains (Shan Masood & Shaheen Shah Afridi) have failed to win a single match for Pakistan since they started to lead the side.
