Batting at higher strike rate is easy than playing anchor role in T20s, states Mohammad Rizwan

Mohammad Rizwan has been one of the finest Pakistani batters in recent times. He has scored 2635 T20I runs so far for the national team. The wicketkeeper batter recently played in the Bangladesh Premier League and will now be captain of Multan Sultans. However, despite being an excellent batsman, Rizwan often comes under scrutiny for scoring runs at a low strike rate. The Pakistan batter has now reflected on the criticism saying it is a tough task to play as an anchor rather than striking the ball at a quicker rate. 

"It is more important for me what my captain and coach demand from me. In BPL, my coach instructed me not to give away my wicket in the first two overs in Dhaka, even if you score only two or three runs," Rizwan stated in an exclusive interview with Pakistan Cricket. 

"My team’s captain, Imrul Kayes, also asked me to anchor the innings. It is not an easy role because people criticize you for playing an anchor role in T20s. People who play with a higher strike rate score in only two or three out of 10 innings. So it is easier for us to play in a similar way. But for me, team requirement is more important than what critics say.”

Pakistan Super League(PSL) will kick off on February 13. Multan Sultans will play their opening fixture of the tournament against Lahore Qalanders. The team would like to get to a winning start in the opening fixture and Rizwan has shared his excitement to play in front of the Multan crowd. 

"It will be a great feeling to play in front of the Multan crowd wearing the Sultans’ jersey because I haven’t played a PSL match there yet. I was on the bench when Karachi Kings played a match there. But it was still really fun to experience the match there, so I am hoping for a similar experience this time around," he concluded.