Asia Cup 2022: 'True warrior,' Babar lavishes praise on Rizwan
"Winning Asia Cup is not easy. It's not like we will say, we will win. It requires a lot of hard work and focus," Babar says
September 06, 2022
DUBAI: Pakistan’s all-format skipper Babar Azam Tuesday called his opening partner Mohammad Rizwan a “true warrior”, praising him for remaining committed to his team despite all the pain.
The wicketkeeper-batter was suffering from knee pain while he was batting against India in a high-pressure game on Sunday in T20 Asia Cup 2022. Despite the knee pain, Rizwan scored an unbeaten 71 runs to help Pakistan win by five wickets against their arch-rivals.
Addressing a press conference ahead of their clash against Afghanistan tomorrow, he praised his opening partner, saying that he has “never seen a cricketer with such an attitude.”
"To me, he is a true warrior who always stands for Pakistan. If you talk about his commitment, so everybody knows how he came straight from ICU to play the semi-final against Australia in T20 World Cup last year. A player with such a character is always important for you," he added.
‘Not an easy task’
Commenting on the nail-biting victory against India, Babar said that success against India gave them immense confidence while moving ahead in the T20 Asia Cup 2022.
"Victory against India gave us so much confidence. Every player gave his best performance against India. As a unit, we are confident to continue this performance and play competitive cricket against other opponents," the skipper said.
Babar, however, feels that winning Asia Cup is “not an easy task”.
"Winning Asia Cup is not easy. It's not like we will say, we will win. It requires a lot of hard work and focus," said the skipper who has so far failed to make his presence felt in the tournament.
"I know my performance wasn't up to the mark but the way Rizwan carried out there after I got out was commendable. I am learning from my mistakes and will come back Inshallah," concluded Babar who scored 10, 9 and 14 in the three matches so far held during the tournament.
After the convincing victory against India, Pakistan are now set to face Afghanistan in their second Super Four stage contest in Sharjah tomorrow [September 7].
