Pakistan’s head coach for T20 World Cup 2021, Saqlain Mushtaq shared that Mohammad Rizwan was so keen and confident to play for Pakistan against Australia in T20 World Cup 2021’s semi-final despite severe illness.
While sharing the exact wordings of Rizwan before the match in a virtual press conference, Saqlain praised the wicket-keeper batter and asked other players to take inspiration from him.
“I will play even if I lose my life. It will be an honor for me,” Saqlain quoted Rizwan. “His courage and determination motivated us and we let him play the all-important match. He is a real fighter and players should learn from it,” he said.
The interim head coach said he was proud of his boys’ performance throughout the mega event. “I feel so proud of this unit. They fought like real fighters and remained unbeaten in the group stage. I am confident that they will come back strongly,” Saqlain added.
The cricketer-turned-coach also defended Hasan Ali who was blamed for dropping a catch in the 19th over of Shaheen Shah Afridi which possibly cost Pakistan final spot in the mega event.
“Hasan is a fighter and an important player. Every player suffers such a bad phase but don’t worry, he will come back,” the coach maintained.
