'Trying to fulfil what Pakistan needs,' says Mohammad Rizwan

CHRISTCHURCH: Pakistan’s star wicket-keeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan Friday said that he tries to do what his team need instead of thinking about being a top batter on the T20 rankings.

Earlier today, the Green Shirts inflicted a 21-run defeat on Bangladesh in their tri-nation series at the Hagley Oval, thanks to Rizwan's amazing 50-ball 78 and fiery bowling by the bowlers.

It is pertinent to mention here that Rizwan retained the number one spot in the T20I batting rankings by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Wednesday, as the Indian dynamic batter Suryakumar Yadav edged close to him, with only a 16 rating gap between them.

In a press conference after the opening win, Rizwan said: "I am not thinking about being number one. I am trying to fulfil what Pakistan needs. Thinking of number one and man of the match leads you to negativity."

"Suryakumar Yadav plays well, and I like the way he plays. It must be noted that top order and middle order are different things," he added.

Talking about Pakistan's T20 World Cup 2022 opener against India on October 23, Rizwan said: "India-Pakistan match is a pressure one. I try to keep things simple, and I am getting respect for that."

"As a team, we are calm about the match against India. We have played many matches in a year, but this is a World Cup match, so it is important," he said.

The Men in Green will lock horns with New Zealand in their second series clash at the same venue on Saturday (tomorrow) at 11:00 AM (PST).

The batter said he could not say anything about the match against the Kiwis, and added: "We will come and decide according to the conditions. Every match can have different and difficult conditions, so you have to forget what happened before."