DURBAN: Pakistan’s white-ball captain Mohammad Rizwan claimed that there were ‘lot of positives’ for the national team despite suffering an 11-run defeat in the first T20I of the three-match series against South Africa here on Tuesday.
Speaking at the post-match presentation, the skipper highlighted the key moments, including David Miller’s blistering knock, which shifted the momentum in the home side’s favour.
"Lot of positives. The innings from Miller and Linde took the momentum away from us. The counterattack from Miller took the momentum as we had started well by picking early wickets,” said Rizwan.
Pakistan’s spinners Abrar Ahmed and Sufiyan Muqeem were expensive in the fixture as they conceded 90 runs in their combined eight overs and picked up four wickets.
But Rizwan was all praise for the spinners, asserting that they used the pitch and conditions well before reiterating that there were lot of positives for the touring side.
“The spinners bowled very well; they used the pitch and conditions well. There are a lot of positives, and hopefully, we do well in the next match," he concluded.
Opting to bat first, South Africa registered a formidable total of 183/9 on the board, courtesy of Miller’s swashbuckling half-century, followed by George Linde’s quickfire cameo.
Miller remained the top-scorer for the hosts with a 40-ball 82, studded with eight sixes and four fours, while Linde made a 24-ball 48 with the help of three fours and four sixes.
Left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi was the standout bowler for Pakistan, taking three wickets for just 22 runs in his four overs.
In response, Pakistan could accumulate 172/8 in the allotted 20 overs despite Rizwan’s half-century.
Mohammad Rizwan top-scored for Pakistan with a 62-ball 74, a knock which led him to plethora of unwanted records.
Linde, who played a defiant cameo, backed it up with a four-wicket haul and was thus adjudged the player of the match.
The 11-run victory gave South Africa a 1-0 lead over Pakistan in the series, with the second T20I scheduled to be played in Centurion on Friday.
- Mohammad Rizwan
