Twitter Reactions: Mohammad Rizwan’s 89 secures Pakistan face-saving win in Napier

Faheem Ashraf starred for the visitors with the ball, picking three wickets for 20 runs.

By Sabyasachi Chowdhury

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Mohammed Rizwan
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Mohammed Rizwan. (Photo Source: Kerry Marshall/Getty Images)

Pakistan came into the third and final T20I after conceding an unassailable 2-0 lead to New Zealand in the series. But at the McLean Park in Napier, Shadab Khan and Co managed to make amends, winning by four wickets and end the series with a 1-2 scorecard. The match turned out to be an absolute humdinger and went down to the wire, but the Men in Green got over the line with two balls to spare.

Conway leads the charge

For the first time after two defeats, Pakistan elected to field first and the decision paid dividends for them initially. Martin Guptill (19) and Tim Seifert (35) got into double digits, but couldn’t convert. Kane Williamson perished for one and the Black Caps found themselves at 58 for the loss of three wickets in 7.2 overs. But Devon Conway and Glenn Phillips brought sanity back into proceedings.

The duo put on 51 for the fourth wicket in 41 balls. Shaheen Shah Afridi got rid of Phillips, who scored 31 off 20, to break the partnership. Faheem Ashraf picked his third wicket in the form of James Neesham. However, Conway’s 45-ball 63, laced with seven fours and one six, guided the hosts to a formidable score of 173. For Pakistan, pacers Afridi and Haris Rauf also got two wickets each.

Rizwan plays a match-winning hand

Pakistan got off to a steady start in their run-chase, courtesy a 40-run opening stand between Mohammad Rizwan and Haider Ali. Scott Kuggelejin separated the duo, removing Haider. But Rizwan and Mohammad Hafeez (41) carried on the good work, putting on 72 runs before Kuggelejin removed the latter. Khushdil Shah became Neesham’s first and only victim after scoring 13 runs.

Amidst the loss of wickets, Rizwan stood his ground and churned out his half-century off 40 balls. The opener went on to score 89 runs off 59 balls with 10 fours and three sixes and got out in the final over with Pakistan on the brink of victory. The visitors lost a few wickets at the death, but Iftikhar Ahmed’s seven-ball 14 in the crunch moments saw Pakistan to the much-needed victory.

Here’s how the netizens reacted to Pakistan’s win –  

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