Pakistan wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan was left fuming after spinner Usama Mir was hit for back-to-back boundaries by David Warner in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 match against Australia on Friday, October 20. Mir was making his ICC Cricket World Cup debut in the match and was under tremendous pressure after replacing
Pakistan vice-captain Shadab Khan in the playing XI. He also dropped an easy catch of Warner early on in the innings, which further dented his confidence. Mir’s low confidence also reflected on his bowling as he was taken to the cleaners by the Australian batters. In his 9 overs, he gave away 82 runs and bagged just one wicket.
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In the 33rd over of the innings, Warner smashed Mir for 19 runs, including four fours and a six. After Mir was hit for a four on the fifth delivery of the over, Rizwan looked angry and shouted at the spinner. Earlier, Pakistan won the toss and chose to field first.
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However, the decision turned out to be a poor one for the side as the Pakistan bowlers were taken to the cleaners by Warner and Mitchell Marsh. The duo smashed staggering centuries and added 259 runs for the first wicket.
However, after their dismissals, Australia faced a horrible collapse and kept losing wickets at regular intervals to get restricted to 367/9 in 50 overs. Pakistan was eventually bowled out for 287 in 45.2 overs, giving Australia a comfortable 99-run victory.
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Rizwan’s outburst at Mir has sparked a debate on social media, with some people criticizing him for his lack of support for his teammate, while others defended him, saying that he was simply trying to motivate Mir. It remains to be seen whether Rizwan’s outburst will have any impact on Mir’s performance in the upcoming matches. However, one thing is for sure: it is a sign of the pressure that the Pakistan team is under in the World Cup.
