Hyderabad Felt Like Rawalpindi, Says Mohammad Rizwan

Pakistan’s sojourn in Hyderabad came to an end on Tuesday (October 10) with a historic win over Sri Lanka in the eighth game of the 2023 World Cup. Riding on brilliant centuries from Mohammad Rizwan and Abdullah Shafique, the Babar Azam-led chased down a record total of 345 and won the game by 6 wickets.

Pakistan were in Hyderabad since landing in India last month. They played both of their warm-up games against New Zealand and Australia in Hyderabad before facing the Netherlands and Sri Lanka at the same venue in their opening two World Cup games. While they lost both the warm-up games, the Men in Green managed to bounce back and win both of the World Cup games.

Apart from the wins, what has caught everyone’s attention is the support received by the Pakistani team in Hyderabad. Ever since their arrival in the city last month, Babar Azam and his teammates have received good support from the local crowd. And with the fans making sure that the Pakistan players feel at home in Hyderabad, the players have also returned the favour by constantly appreciating the support.

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On Tuesday, a huge crowd was in the stands for the game between Pakistan and Sri Lanka. And most of the spectators were supporting Pakistan. The final count stood at 24,181. The fans were also chanting “Jeetega bhai, Jeetenga, Pakistan Jeetega” during the chase.

Mohammad Rizwan thanks Hyderabad fans:

After the game ended, Mohammad Rizwan made sure to thank the Hyderabad crowd for their unwavering support throughout. The wicketkeeper-batsman played an unbeaten knock of 131 runs to help his side chase down a record 345 with 10 balls to spare.

“I felt like I was playing in front of the Rawalpindi crowd; our ground in Lahore is big, and a lot of people come there. This ground felt like Rawalpindi,” said Mohammad Rizwan.

“The way the crowd showed love today, and not just for me but for the whole Pakistan team, and they even supported Sri Lanka. I am happy that the crowd in Hyderabad has supported cricket, both Sri Lanka and us. I had a lot of fun with them,” he added.

Earlier in the competition, Pakistan began their campaign with an 81-run win over the Netherlands. Their next game is against arch-rivals and hosts India on Saturday (October 14) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.