Watch: Mohammad Rizwan was dismissed trying to sweep teenager Noor Ahmad from wide outside the off stump at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai today (October 23).

Winning the toss and electing to bat first against Afghanistan in Chennai, Pakistan started well, adding 56 for the first wicket. Imam-ul-Haq scored 17 off 22, while Abdullah Shafique scored a half-century.

Shafique added 54 for the second wicket with captain Babar Azam before being trapped in front by Noor, who was playing his first World Cup game. Rizwan came in to bat at No.4. Having already scored nearly 300 runs from the first four games at the World Cup, a lot of Pakistan’s hopes rested on him.

His stay on the crease wasn’t a long one though as the teenager removed the veteran, taking his second wicket of the day. Rizwan, a frequent sweeper of the ball, couldn’t resist when Noor bowled a length ball wide outside off from round the wicket. However, he failed to spot that it was a googly that was turning away from Rizwan. As a result, he could only manage a top-edge that flew straight into the hands of the short fine leg fielder.

Rizwan’s lowest score at this World Cup from four innings before today was 46, indicating the kind of form he was in and how big a scalp he was. With Pakistan going from 110-1 to 120-3, Afghanistan had an opening but couldn’t capitalise as Saud Shakeel scored 25 off 34, adding 43 for the fourth wicket with Babar and stopping what could have been a potential collapse.

At the end of 35 overs, Pakistan’s score read 167-4.

Watch: Mohammad Rizwan gets out sweeping

 

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