KARACHI: Rawalpindiz captain Mohammad Rizwan has accepted that his poor individual performance played a major role in his team’s crushing 32-run defeat against Lahore Qalandars in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) Season 11 .
Speaking at the post-match press conference after Rawalpindiz suffered their seventh straight loss at Karachi’s National Bank Stadium, the wicketkeeper-batter did not shy away from taking responsibility .
“Had I performed as a captain, the team could have won,” Rizwan admitted, acknowledging that something was missing from his effort on the day .
Chasing a mammoth target of 211 runs, Rawalpindiz lost early momentum when Shaheen Afridi dismissed Rizwan for just nine runs in the third over. The team never recovered and were restricted to 178-9 .
Rizwan, who has faced criticism throughout the tournament, said: “My performance hasn’t been good, but I am also a human being” . He firmly dismissed suggestions of retirement, stating: “That doesn’t mean I’ll lose courage, sit down in front of you defeated, or quit cricket” .
The captain also defended his decision not to keep wickets, explaining it was part of a plan to mentor young fast bowler Razaullah from the field .
Despite the loss, Rizwan identified Abdullah Fazal and Saad Masood as promising future stars for Pakistan cricket . Saad Masood fought valiantly with 54 runs off 26 balls, but it was not enough to prevent Rawalpindiz from becoming the first team eliminated from the PSL 11 playoffs race .
