Pakistan wicketkeeper-batsman and the vice-captain, Mohammad Rizwan has said that Pakistan players have been playing cricket under biosecure bubbles for a long time and they would need some time away from the game before the big event of ICC World T20 scheduled later this year.
He said that staying continuously in a bubble is “quite tough” and that senior players want to rest, a point that is well supported by the team physio. He pointed out that rest for the seniors will open the doors of opportunities for players who have been warming the benches for a long time.
“We have been playing continuously for last eight to nine months and the main thing is we are playing bio-secure bubble which is quite tough. Our main event is T20 World Cup and most of the senior players want to rest. Our physio has also suggested rest for our body and the players sitting on the bench have the best opportunity to showcase themselves,” Rizwan said in a virtual press conference before the second Test against West Indies.
Pakistan fought well in the first Test of the series against West Indies but lost the game by the narrowest of narrow margin as the hosts were rescued by lower-order batsmen. Rizwan said that Pakistan is eager to bounce their way back in the series with a win in the second Test.
He defended the batting lineup that failed on both occasions in the first Test and said that many of those batsmen are impact players and the team must back the players who have in them what it takes to change the course of the game by themselves.
“The bottomline is we lost the Test after coming so close to winning it and it hit us and we are now looking to bounce back strongly in the second Test. I think it is also important to look at players who make small but game-changing contributions in a match. We need such impact players. Our main focus now is to level this series by winning the second game and getting equal points from it,” Rizwan added.