Mohammad Rizwan. PC- ICC
Mohammad Rizwan. PC- ICC

Mohammad Rizwan, the opening batsman for Pakistan, detailed his chat with head coach Saqlain Mushtaq after their opening match against India and how his words came true as they qualified for the T20 World Cup final.

Pakistan was about to be eliminated from the T20 World Cup. Pakistan had little to no chance of making the semifinals after losing its first two games, especially considering how well-performing South Africa and India were throughout the group stage.

Saqlain Mushtaq
Saqlain Mushtaq. Pic Credits: Twitter

But the Men in Green were able to recover and defeat the Proteas, win two more games, and defeat New Zealand in the semifinals to reach the final for the first time since they won the competition in 2009.

Saqlain Mushtaq Pakistan coach. Photo- Geo TV
Saqlain Mushtaq Pakistan coach. Photo- Geo TV

Former Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh questioned the dressing room situation when Pakistan was on the verge of elimination a few days earlier and how it altered when the Netherlands upset the Proteas to boost their journey to the semifinals after Pakistan defeated New Zealand in Sydney.

“There would be something different that would happen”: Mohammad Rizwan

After Pakistan’s defeat, Saqlain had told Mohammad Rizwan that an upset will occur in the group stage. Mohammad Rizwan subsequently recalled their chat. He continued by saying that the Pakistani squad was quite pleased with the Netherlands’ victory over South Africa on the final day of the group-stage match.

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Mohammad Rizwan
Mohammad Rizwan (PC-Getty Images)

“If you ask me honestly after we lost to India in the first game, Saqlain warned me that something different will happen. ‘Not yet, because there will be some uproar someplace,’ I assured him.

“Saqlain told me the same thing after we lost to Zimbabwe. But then there was the match between the Netherlands and South Africa. From the pavilion, we were watching. We didn’t have as much fun in any other game as we did in that one,” he said.

When Pakistan faces England in the T20 World Cup final on Sunday in Melbourne, they will now be competing for a second trophy, following their victory in 2009.

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