Mohammad Rizwan underlined why he will be a key weapon for Pakistan in the Twenty20 World Cup, top-scoring in a 21-run win over Bangladesh in Christchurch on Friday.
Rizwan continued his prolific form with an unbeaten 78 as Pakistan posted 167-5 before restricting their opponents to 146-8.
It was the opening match of a week-long tournament, which also includes hosts New Zealand. All three teams are using it to prepare for the T20 World Cup in Australia.
The world’s top-ranked T20 batsman, Rizwan batted through the innings in cold conditions at Hagley Oval, tallying seven fours and two sixes in a chanceless 50-ball knock.
It was the 30-year-old’s 21st half-century in the format, continuing his form from last month’s T20 series against England, when he led the series by 316 runs.
His average of 54.34 stands alone among the highest 150-run scorers in the format. The next best is India’s Virat Kohli (50.84).
On a difficult, two-pace wicket, Rizwan was best supported by Shaun Masood (31 off 22 balls), after an opening stand of 52 with captain Babar Azam (22 off 25) while Tasin Ahmed (2-25) ) was the best bowler of Bangladesh.
Rizwan said being patient after being sent in laid the foundation for the winning score.
“There was a bit of grip on the ball at the start but the captain and I decided to keep things simple,” he said.
“We did very well but I thought we were 10 to 15 runs short on that kind of pitch.
“After that, the bowlers bowled very well as per the plan.”
After Bangladesh’s chase ended, Liton Das (35) and Afif Hussain (25) put on 50 runs for the third wicket in 34 balls.
Some late hits from Yasir Ali (42 not out) restored some respect while speedster Muhammad Wasim (3-24) enjoyed a late breakthrough with a yorker.
Players from both teams regularly slipped on a surface that was made difficult by unpredictable weather conditions earlier in the week.
A cold blast Thursday morning had ground crews clearing snow from the dugout and outfield.
Temperatures hovered around a relatively warm 12 degrees Celsius (54F) throughout the match, the warmest so far in New Zealand’s home season.
New Zealand will play Pakistan on Saturday and Bangladesh on Sunday at the same venue.
