Pakistan’s campaign in the Champions Trophy has been left hanging by a thread following a comprehensive defeat to India, with the batting approach employed by Mohammad Rizwan’s team in the middle overs drawing significant criticism. A promising start in the powerplay faded into an all-too-familiar slowdown, with captain Rizwan bearing the brunt of the blame.
After reaching 52 for 2 at the end of the first ten overs, Pakistan managed a mere 42 runs in the next 14, allowing India to tighten their grip on the contest. Former international cricketer Urooj Mumtaz called out the team’s sheepishness, pinpointing Mohammad Rizwan’s inability to keep the scoreboard moving as a decisive factor in Pakistan’s downfall.
“Rizwan, time and again, is at fault for chewing up too many dot deliveries. Then there is one release shot that comes out,” Mumtaz remarked on ESPNcricinfo Match Day. “He was on 40-odd from something like 70 deliveries at the point where he looked like taking another release shot. He was 30 off 68 [24 off 53] at one point when he hit that one four. Saud [Shakeel], on the other hand, is not the normal aggressor; it is Rizwan who is normally the aggressor when he does get going and does get set.”
The phase from overs 11 to 24 saw Mohammad Rizwan consume 45 deliveries, of which 29 were dots. His and his team’s inability to rotate the strike or find boundaries left Pakistan in a precarious position. In total, he managed just 46 runs off 77 balls before perishing to Axar Patel in an attempt to break free.
Rizwan’s boundary drought was telling—his first came off Kuldeep Yadav’s opening delivery to him, but he had to wait until his 49th ball to hit another, off Ravindra Jadeja. His third and final boundary arrived in the 27th over before he was eventually bowled in the 34th. Despite adding 104 runs with Saud Shakeel, the partnership consumed 144 balls, draining momentum from Pakistan’s innings.
Mumtaz also questioned Mohammad Rizwan’s tactical approach, particularly in the absence of Babar Azam.
“I think Rizwan, in his 46 off 77 – a strike rate of 59 – just wasn’t good enough because we’re talking about a team where the best batter in the team [Babar Azam] is obviously out of form and hasn’t been churning out those big runs… and he got out early,” Mumtaz said.
Pakistan’s struggles in the ODI format are nothing new. The presence of Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, and Imam-ul-Haq in the top four clearly does not gel with the current cricketing framework. With Pakistan all but out of the Champions Trophy, team management would be wise to start building for the future now and replace the ailing lineup with fresher faces.
