Andy Flower proud of ‘brave and courageous’ Mohammad Rizwan

Monitoring Desk

KARACHI: Multan Sultans’ Head Coach Andy Flower has heaped praise on wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan, ahead of the remaining HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) season six matches in Abu Dhabi.

Flower believes that Rizwan, who is the captain of Multan, has proven everyone wrong with his transformation as a T20 batsman.

“I think we batted really well in the first half [of PSL 6]…Rizwan led that charge definitely. It’s wonderful to see a player like him, who had been pigeonholed as not a T20 player. It’s wonderful to see a young player like that show what you can do with a skill and understanding of the game through his brave, courageous and aggressive batting,” said Flower.

“I’m very proud to lead the group along with Rizwan,” he added.
Flower also shed light on Multan’s shortcoming during the first half of the league, while admitting that qualifying for the playoffs will be a tough ask.

“I think the areas that we lacked were wicket-taking upfront and also at the back end. Our death bowling was not as skillful as you need to defend on flat pitches, fast outfields and a bit of dew around. It’s a big challenge for the bowlers but we were not good enough which was very obvious. If we have to qualify for the playoffs, those are the areas we need to improve in, keep those high standards with the bat and key players like Rizwan making big performances again,” he said.

“It’s a tough ask for us to qualify for the playoffs, no doubt about that, from here, that’s the reality. I think we all understand that and that’s nothing to be afraid of. If anything, it takes a bit of pressure of us as no one expects us to qualify, so I expect our players to go out there and give everything…” he concluded.
Multan are currently fifth on the points table with just a solitary win after five games.