Mohammad Rizwan, the wicket-keeper batsman, extended his impressive form on Friday by scoring another half-century as Pakistan won the opening T20I tri-nation series by 20 runs after posting 167-5. Rizwan scored seven fours and two sixes in his unbeaten 78 as he batted through the innings at Hagley Oval in the chilly, challenging weather.
His 50-ball innings set the tone for the opening game in a series that also included the hosts, New Zealand, and which the three countries were using to get ready for the T20 World Cup in Australia.
The number one T20I batsman in the world, Rizwan, failed to create an opportunity as he raised his career average in the shortest international format to 54.34.The 30-year-old wicketkeeper-opener was in excellent form during the T20I home series loss to England, scoring a series-high 316 runs.
After being asked to bat, Rizwan navigated a wicket with an unnatural pace that led to a number of errors from his teammates.The five wickets lost all came from outfield catches, including two from Taskin Ahmed, Bangladesh’s finest bowler, who finished with a 2-25.
Following an opening stand of 52 with skipper Babar Azam, Shan Masood (31 off 22 balls) provided Rizwan with the most assistance (22 off 25).On a field that had been made hard earlier in the week by unforeseen weather circumstances, players from both sides frequently stumbled.
On Thursday morning, a frigid blast forced ground crew to clear snow from the outfield and covers.For the start of the match, the temperature had risen to a comparatively warm 12 degrees Celsius (54F).