Mohammad Rizwan, the first batsman for Pakistan in Twenty20 internationals, has acknowledged that he occasionally finds it uncomfortable to serve as an anchor in the game’s shortest format. His success percentage in the shortest format has repeatedly come under scrutiny. Experts have also criticized Rizwan for not stepping it up at the start of the innings. He has however admitted that he only fills in as the anchor when the team requests it. Currently playing with the Comilla Victorians in the Bangladesh Premier League is the Pakistan wicketkeeper-batsman (BPL). He has said that whenever he gets selected by a team to compete in T20 Leagues, he is currently batting at number four in the competition.
“It is a very difficult role (anchor role in shortest format) and sometimes it looks very embarrassing. What my experience says and what I know is that whenever someone hires me, they demand me to play the anchor role like the way I do in Pakistan,” he said while speaking to the reporters, according to Cricbuzz. “I always assess the condition, assess the opponent, and do these kinds of things (anchoring the innings), and sometimes it is embarrassing because in T20 everyone knows we love sixes and they want me to score 60-70 runs from 35-45 balls, but for me to win the match,” Rizwan added.
According to the ICC rankings, Mohammad Rizwan is now the second-ranked T20I batter, and he has shown enough consistency to pick up speed at the conclusion of the innings. He also admitted that AB de Villiers is his idol in cricket and that he pays close attention to each of his outings in all forms. “You can look at the scoreboard and see what the team demand from you. Basically, for me, my cricket idol is AB De Villiers and I look at him very closely and his performances in Test cricket and T20 as well and that’s why I also try to play according to the demand of the team.”
“In T20 cricket, sometimes you can go with slow strike rate because sometimes in T20 you are in a position where they (opposition) are looking to take wickets. You can go slow (when you’ve lost a couple of wickets) but when the team needs you to hit the long ball, you can go with the momentum. For me, assessing the time is important (when to break free) and thankfully, most of the time, I am successful,” Rizwan further said.
