Pakistan wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan has shared a unique insight into his bond with captain Babar Azam. The duo starred with the bat for Pakistan during the warm-up clash against New Zealand in Hyderabad on Friday (September 29). Pakistan scored 345/5 in the allotted 50 overs after Babar Azam won the toss and elected to bat first. The Men in Green were off to a poor start as Imam-ul-Haq (1) and Abdullah Shafique (14) failed to get going.
However, Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam shared a brilliant 114-run stand to put Pakistan in a good position. The partnership came to an end when Mitchell Santner dismissed Babar for 80. Unlike Babar, Mohammad Rizwan went on to complete a fine century before retiring hurt for 104. His knock came off 94 balls and was studded with 9 fours and a couple of sixes. Saud Shakeel also played a crucial knock of 75 runs from 53 balls to help his side cross the 300-run mark.
After the Pakistan innings ended, Mohammad Rizwan came up with a bizarre line to explain his partnership with Babar Azam. He began by expressing his delight over registering the century and also praised the Indian crowd for their support. The wicketkeeper-batsman also heaped praise on Saud Shakeel for his knock.
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“A hundred is a hundred, proud and happy of it. Scoring a century for Pakistan is always special. The Indian crowd gave us a lot of love at the airport itself, just like how our fans love us back in Pakistan. We were welcomed in India in a great way,” said Mohammad Rizwan.
“In T20Is I open for Pakistan, in Tests I bat at 6-7 and in ODIs I bat at number 4, I play according to the team requirements. Saud Shakeel is in great form and he played a classy knock today. Hopefully, he turns out to be a great player in the ODI format as well,” he added.
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Speaking further, Mohammad Rizwan opened up on his partnership with Babar and bizarrely said that their chemistry, as well as physics, is the same, saying: “Because me and Babar, chemistry is same, physics is same. Sometimes we don’t [even] call each other but run for singles.”
Chemistry is same, Physics is same..!!#PAKvNZ pic.twitter.com/fixJumbp8N
— Khurram Iqbal (@khurram143) September 29, 2023
Meanwhile, New Zealand went on to beat Pakistan by five wickets. Riding on the fifties from Rachin Ravindra (97), Kane Williamson (54), Daryl Mitchell (59), and Mark Chapman (65*), they chased down the total in less than 44 overs. Rizwan’s bizarre analogy to explain his partnership with Babar has left fans scratching their heads. However, there is no doubt that the duo is one of the most formidable opening pairs in the world. They have played many match-winning knocks for Pakistan and have been instrumental in the team’s success in recent years.
