'Not thinking about being No 1, trying to do what Pakistan needs: Rizwan on battle with Suryakumar

'I like the way Suryakumar Yadav plays,' said Mohammad Rizwan

October 07, 2022
Mohammad Rizwan in action against England in fifth T20I at the Gaddafi Stadium Lahore — PCB

CHRISTCHURCH: Pakistan's star batter Mohammad Rizwan said he doesn't think about being number one, saying he tries doing what the national team needs.

Pakistan, on Friday, beat Bangladesh by 21 runs in their tri-nation series at the Hagley Oval, thanks to Rizwan's astounding 50-ball 78 and fiery bowling by the bowlers.

The wicket-keeper batter retained the number one spot in the T20I batting rankings by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Wednesday, as the Indian dynamic batter Suryakumar Yadav edged close to him, with only a 16 rating gap between them.

In a press conference after the opening win, Rizwan said: "I am not thinking about being number one. I am trying to fulfill what Pakistan needs. Thinking of number one and man of the match leads you to negativity."

"Suryakumar Yadav plays well and I like the way he plays. It must be noted that top order and middle order are different things," he added.

Talking about Pakistan's T20 World Cup 2022 opener against India on October 23, Rizwan said: "India-Pakistan match is a pressure one. I try to keep things simple and I am getting respect for that. As a team, we are calm about the match against India. We have played many matches in a year but this is a World Cup match so it is important."

The Men in Green will lock horns with New Zealand in their second series clash at the same venue on Saturday (tomorrow) at 11:00 AM (PST).

The batter said he could not say anything about the match against the Kiwis, and added: "We will come and decide according to the conditions. Every match can have different and difficult conditions, so you have to forget what happened before."

Sohail Imran is a senior reporter for Geo News.

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