PAK vs SA: Skipper Rizwan or Politician Rizwan?

On 10th December, Pakistan lost the nail-biting PAK vs SA 1st T20 with a narrow margin of 11 runs. The hosts overpowered the tourists with their smashing batting style and impressive spin-bowling. 

The Pakistan tour of South Africa 2024 will feature 3 T20Is, 3 ODIs, and 2 test matches. South Africa has already opened their victory account by winning the 1st T20I of this three-match series. 

Mohammad Rizwan, Pakistan skipper and the most experienced player in the team gave a very “political” post-match statement. 

He highlighted the key factors which shifted the momentum in South Africa’s direction all the while defending his and his team’s shortcomings. 

Speaking about the loss, Rizwan stated, "Lot of positives. The innings from Miller and Linde took the momentum away from us. The counterattack from Miller took the momentum as we had started well by picking early wickets. The spinners bowled very well; they used the pitch and conditions well. There are a lot of positives, and hopefully, we do well in the next match" he stated.   

In this thrilling clash of two highly unpredictable T20 sides, the hosts won the toss and chose to bat first. The deadly combo of David Miller and George Linde helped take SA past the 180-run mark. 

Pakistan fell short by 11 runs while chasing a staggering target of 184 runs, the credit of which goes to George Linde’s timely dismissal of four Pakistani batsmen. 

Despite the defeat, Rizwan praised the efforts of Pakistan’s spinners, Abrar Ahmed and Sufiyan Muqeem, who used the conditions effectively to pick crucial wickets. 

He expressed confidence in the team’s ability to bounce back in the second T20I, scheduled for Friday, December 13, in Centurion.  

Rizwan didn’t address the lack of an attacking mindset, the inability of experienced players to perform, and the lack of stability in the entire Pakistan batting lineup.

He chose to focus on the next match instead of addressing all that went wrong in the SA vs PAK 1st T20I. 

Is this what Rizwan truly believes in or is it just a political statement meant to protect the team’s reputation?