ODI World Cup 2023: Fired-up Rizwan drives, pulls, practices ramp shots ahead of Australia warm-up match

Rizwan warmed up with a century against New Zealand in Pakistan’s first warm-up game and having lost the high-scoring match, the team had a high-intensity session where the fast bowlers also steamed in.

FILE PHOTO: Pakistan’s Mohammad Rizwan during the ICC Cricket World Cup warmup match against New Zealand. | Photo Credit: AP

Mohammad Rizwan shuffled his feet well and drove confidently inside the green outdoor nets at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium on Sunday. At the other end stood Andrew Puttick, the team’s batting coach, hurling thunderbolts with a wide-eyed Rizwan, trying to get into a frame of mind as Pakistan held a full-fledged training session.

With Puttick throwing down the white ball at ferocious speeds, Rizwan was up for the task, dealing each delivery according to its merit. While the first 10 balls were the customary looseners to warm up the batter, the moment of surprise came when Puttick launched a bouncer that Rizwan caught off-guard.

A weird smile from the batting coach and a fired-up Rizwan, taking a middle-off guard, responded to the chin music by playing some exquisite ramp shots and exhibiting some crunch pulls. The white ball received no mercy, and the sound of the ball coming off the bat echoed through the largely empty stadium as the wicketkeeper-batter meant business.

The batting coach conducted the drill from over-the-wicket, and Rizwan took a good stride forward to drive the deliveries and also sharpened his flick shot. Some of the rising deliveries were smacked in the direction of mid-wicket, where the batter excels during match days.

The bulk of the next half hour saw the premier the batter drive the ball down the ground, skipping down the track to tackle spin, practising the inside-out shot and other boundary-fetching shots. His late deft touches were also in exhibition, leaving the local bowlers in awe.

Following Rizwan, top batters, including the likes of Babar Azam, Imam-Ul-Haq and Fakhar Zaman arrived at the nets and took turns to have a hit after having a routine training at the main ground.

Rizwan warmed up with a century against New Zealand in Pakistan’s first warm-up game and having lost the high-scoring match, the team had a high-intensity session where the fast bowlers also steamed in.

Mickey Arthur, Pakistan’s Director of Cricket, joined the team on Sunday morning as Pakistan aims for its first win in the World Cup warm-up matches when it faces Australia on Tuesday.