Despite Mohammad Rizwan’s valiant effort, Pakistan faced yet another defeat in the fourth T20I against New Zealand in Christchurch last Saturday. Rizwan’s unbeaten 90 salvaged a fighting score of 158 on a challenging batting track. Beyond his impressive batting display, Rizwan grabbed attention with his entertaining on-field antics, drawing amusement from fans.
Even the seasoned Indian batsman, Shikhar Dhawan, joined the conversation, playfully trolling Rizwan for his comical running between the wickets. Dhawan took to social media to share pictures of Rizwan attempting to complete runs using his gloves, adding a touch of humour to the competitive cricket atmosphere.
Kabaddi Kabaddi Kabaddi😃😄#shortrun pic.twitter.com/4nKUeTNevi
— Shikhar Dhawan (@SDhawan25) January 19, 2024
As New Zealand already secured the series, there’s a strategic move to manage player workload. Daryl Mitchell, the Kiwi batsman who has been a standout performer in the T20I series, scoring 158 runs with a remarkable strike rate of 183.72, will sit out the fifth T20I against Pakistan. New Zealand’s head coach, Gary Stead, explained that Mitchell is being rested ahead of “important Test matches” on the horizon.
This decision is part of a thoughtful approach to ensure key players are fit and ready for upcoming challenges, demonstrating a balance between winning the T20I series and preparing for the longer format of the game.
Gary Stead said: “We’ve made a call to give Daryl Mitchell a break from this game. We’ve obviously got some important Test matches leading up. Daryl’s a three-format player, so it’s really important that we do manage his workload over this period. He’s highly likely to play a big part in the rest of our [home] season. So we just thought this is an opportune time [to give him a break], given the series is won.”
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