Mohammad Rizwan maintained his rich vein of batting form on Friday with an unbeaten 78 as Pakistan beat Bangladesh by 21 runs in a tri-series Twenty20 opener in Christchurch.
“It is a good feeling to win the man of the match for Pakistan,” Rizwan after getting the award. The wicketkeeper-batter hit nine boundaries in his innings. “I found the pitch good to bat on but we were 10 to 15 runs short. I believe in hard work.”
He added that some of the boundaries were big here and the team tried to pick their moments.
The green shirts managed to restrict the lions to 146-8 at the end of the 20-over game, which is a precursor to the World T20 World Cup set to be held later this month.
Rizwan batted through the innings in cold, difficult conditions at Hagley Oval, tallying seven fours and two sixes in his 21st half-century.
His 50-ball knock dominated the start of a series, also involving hosts New Zealand, which the three teams are using to prepare for the T20 World Cup in Australia.
The world’s top-ranked T20 batsman, Rizwan didn’t offer a chance as he lifted his career average in the shortest international format to 54.34.
The 30-year-old wicketkeeper-opener is coming off prolific form in the T20 home series loss to England, when he compiled a series-leading 316 runs.
Winning skipper Babar Azam said the victory would give them a lot of confidence. “Mohammad Rizwan did well again, he stayed till the end and took Pakistan to a good score,” he said and praised left-hand batter Shan Masood.
“Weather is different here but as professional cricketers, we need to be ready for everything.”
Bangladesh captain Nurul Hasan was disappointed to lose the game. “We need to improve in a few areas, especially losing wickets in the middle which is a concern for us,” he said and appreciated the bowlers for their efforts.
After being asked to bat, Rizwan negotiated an awkward-paced wicket which caused several teammates to miscue shots.
All five wickets to fall were via outfield catches, including two off Bangladesh’s best bowler, paceman Taskin Ahmed, who took 2-25.
Rizwan’s best support came from Shan Masood (31 off 22 balls) following an opening stand of 52 with captain Babar Azam (22 off 25).
Players from both teams regularly slipped on a surface made hard by unexpected weather conditions earlier in the week.
A cold blast left ground staff sweeping snow from the covers and outfield on Thursday morning.
Temperatures had climbed to a relatively warm 12 degrees Celsius for the start of the match.
Brief scores
Pakistan: 167-5 in 20 overs (Mohammad Rizwan 78 not out, Shan Masood 31, Babar Azam 22; Taskin Ahmed 2-25)
Bangladesh: 146-8 in 20 overs (Yasir Ali 42 not out, Liton Das 35, Afif Hossain 25; Mohammad Wasim 3-24, Mohammad Nawaz 2-25)
