KARACHI: Rawalpindi skipper Mohammad Rizwan lauded the Hyderabad Kingsmen’s bowling attack for maintaining relentless pressure throughout the innings after suffering their sixth consecutive defeat in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 11 at the National Bank Stadium on Thursday over his side’s batting struggles.
Speaking during the post-match briefing, Rizwan acknowledged his team’s poor batting display and the challenges posed by the hard surface, admitting that their pre-match plans were not implemented on the day.
He said the side anticipated a testing pitch and structured their approach accordingly, but a collective batting slump saw them fail to register a competitive total.
“We were fully aware that the pitch would be tricky; we discussed it extensively during our team meetings. Our target was around 140, we felt it would be competitive, but unfortunately, our batting collapsed,” Rizwan said.
“You have to give credit to their bowlers – they never let us out and restricted us to a total of 121,” he added.
The wicketkeeper-batsman further reflected on his team’s inability to convert the match columns into wins, noting that despite the positives in the bowling department, results will be the ultimate measure of the tournament.
He praised the fighting spirit shown by the bowlers who kept the match alive till the closing stages, but stressed the need for Rawalpindis to turn close encounters into victories as the campaign progresses.
“While it is important to find positives in our bowling performance, the reality of this tournament is that you need results,” he said.
“I am proud of how the bowlers fought to push the match right to the end but the unfortunate reality is that we are yet to get the win on the board. We are getting the job done but we have to convert these close matches into points,” he concluded.
Earlier, the Kingsmen put in a strong all-round performance after restricting Rawalpindis to 121-9 in 20 overs and opting to field.
Sam Billings top-scored for Rawalpindis with 26 off 22 balls including a four and a six, while Yasir Khan scored 24 off 30 balls with a four.
Asif Afridi and captain Rizwan scored 15 runs each while Mubasir Khan and Abdullah Fazal added 11 runs each.
Mohammad Ali and Hunain Shah took three wickets each while Asif Mehmood and Glenn Maxwell took one wicket each for the Kingsmen side.
In reply, the Kingsmen overcame the initial pressure and chased down the target in the 17th over with the loss of 5 wickets. Irfan Niazi continued the innings with an unbeaten 34 off 29 balls with 3 fours and a six.
Kusal Perera scored 32 runs off 24 balls, including 3 fours and a six, while captain Marnus Labuschagne scored 32 runs to lead his team to victory.