Believe, live in the present moment and positive intent were the three instructions shared in the Pakistani dressing room as they headed out to achieve an improbable task of chasing down a mammoth target in the fourth innings at Galle Cricket Stadium.
The Men in Green stood tall at the end of the match as they created history by chasing down 342 runs in the final innings, the highest ever run-chase at the venue.
Abdullah Shafique was the star of the show as he struck a magnificent century to steer the run-chase. Shafique’s masterclass innings of 160* off 408 balls earned him the player of the match award and also plaudits from the cricketing community all over the world.
Shafique was ably supported by captain Babar Azam, who scored yet another half-century, and vice-captain, Mohammad Rizwan, who played a gritty innings of 40 runs.
After achieving the feat, Mohammad Rizwan took to Twitter to explain Pakistan’s strategy as they took the field.
Pakistan ko Mubarak ho! This team has many superstars and they give their all for our beloved Pakistan.
This is from day 3 – our game plan in this historic chase. Lets give it to @Saqlain_Mushtaq, Shahid Aslam, @yousaf1788 bhai & entire management for this motivation & yaqeen. pic.twitter.com/HQYGwWPAsl
— Muhammad Rizwan (@iMRizwanPak) July 20, 2022
Rizwan thanked the Pakistan team management including head coach, Saqlain Mushtaq, assistant coach, Shahid Aslam, and batting coach, Mohammad Yousuf, for providing the whole squad with the motivation and belief to carry out a historic feat.
Rizwan’s tweet gathered a positive response from the cricketing fraternity on Twitter as they congratulated the team on a magnificent achievement. His tweet gathered 5,000 likes and 450 retweets. The picture is also being widely shared by social media users.
Pakistani cricket is in good hands with Babar and Rizwan. While Abdullah Shafiq is a newcomer, if he’s from the same lot, then that’s even better for our cricket. These players are incredibly important for Pakistan’s national team and of course, the PSL. Their lack of involvement in the first KPL season must be repeated in the second version, however. The national side cannot afford to have these amazing, talented players choose domestic club cricket over their national commitments. If Babar Azam stays captain for 2 more years and if he’s followed by Rizwan, sports in Pakistan will grow to a point where we may even start getting noticed on the Olympics’ stage. As we already are but it’s not enough.