PAK vs SA: Mohammad Rizwan opens up after defeat in first T20I against South Africa

Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan addressed following his team’s narrow 11-run defeat to South Africa in the first T20I at Kingsmead, Durban. Rizwan highlighted key moments that shifted the game in South Africa’s favor while expressing optimism for the remainder of the series.  

Speaking about the loss, Rizwan stated, "Lot of positives. The innings from Miller and Linde took the momentum away from us. The counterattack from Miller took the momentum as we had started well by picking early wickets. The spinners bowled very well; they used the pitch and conditions well. There are a lot of positives, and hopefully, we do well in the next match" he stated.   

The match saw South Africa post a challenging total of 183/9, with David Miller scoring a scintillating 82 off 40 balls and George Linde adding a quickfire 48 off 24. Rizwan acknowledged the impact of these innings, particularly Miller’s counterattack after Pakistan managed to remove early wickets.  

While batting, Pakistan's batters were unable to chase the target, as George Linde took 4 crucial wickets to secure the win for South Africa.

Despite the defeat, Rizwan praised the efforts of Pakistan’s spinners, Abrar Ahmed and Sufiyan Muqeem, who exploited the conditions effectively to pick crucial wickets. He expressed confidence in the team’s ability to bounce back in the second T20I, scheduled for Friday, December 13, in Centurion.  

The three-match series will continue with the second T20I on Friday in Centurion, followed by the final game in Johannesburg on December 14.