Pakistan pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi showered praise on star ‘Men in Green’ batter Mohammad Rizwan after he completed his 3000 T20I runs and called him Don Bradman of 20-over cricket.
Rizwan scored 22 runs from 21 balls against New Zealand in the 3rd T20I match of the series. He smashed 1 four during his time on the crease. However, he failed to continue on the crease after he suffered a hamstring injury in the middle of the game for which he was forced to retire hurt.
The Pakistani batter also overtook star India batter Virat Kohli to claim the fastest 3000 runs. He took 92 matches and 79 innings to reach the 3000-plus run mark. Meanwhile, Kohli took 87 matches and 81 innings.
Afridi took to his official X (formerly Twitter) account and said that Rizwan’s impact has transformed the game and silenced the people who have doubted him. The Pakistan pacer also called the right-handed batter is many people’s inspiration.
“Cheers to Muhammad Rizwan – the Bradman of T20 cricket and Pakistan’s SuperMan for hitting 3,000 T20I runs! Your impact has transformed the game and silenced the skeptics. Keep soaring, champion! You’re an inspiration to many,” Afridi wrote on X.
https://x.com/iShaheenAfridi/status/1782429314635518355
Rizwan made his T20I debut against Bangladesh in 2015 after that he appeared in 93 matches and 80 innings in which he scored 3048 runs at a strike rate of 127.42.
Recapping the match, after winning the toss, the Kiwis decided to field first against the hosts and their decision did go in their favour in the game. Saim Ayub (32) and skipper Babar Azam (37) opened for the Men in Green with a 55-run partnership.
Shadab Khan (41) was the only standout batter for the hosts as he smashed 4 fours and 2 overhead boundaries during his time on the crease. Apart from Shadab, Irfan Khan (30) tried his best as well and powered Pakistan to a total of 178/4.
Ish Sodhi led the Kiwi bowling attack, picking up two wickets in his four-over spell and gave just 25 runs. Bracewell and Jacob Duffy also took one wicket each in their respective spells.
During the run chase, Dean Foxcroft (31) and Mark Chapman (87) played a 117-run partnership to help New Zealand clinch a 7-wicket win in Rawalpindi. Pakistan displayed a sloppy bowling performance in the match as Afridi and Shah were the only wicket takers of the match.
Currently, the five-match series stands at 1-1 after both Pakistan and New Zealand managed to win just one game. (ANI)
