‘Saqlain bhai ne kaha ki…’ – Mohammad Rizwan reveals conversation with team coach that turned to be true
Saqlain Mushtaq-Mohammad Rizwan (Source: Twitter)
Pakistan was on the verge of being eliminated from the 20-20 World Cup. They lost their first two matches, and given India’s and South Africa’s performances in the group stage, Pakistan had little chance of making the semi-finals. But things worked out mysteriously for the Men in Green, who beat the Proteas, won two more matches, and defeated New Zealand in the semis to reach the final for the first time since they won it in 2009.
Pakistan opener Mohammad Rizwan revealed his conversation with head coach Saqlain Mushtaq after their opener against India, and how his words came true. After Pakistan defeated New Zealand in the semi-finals in Sydney, former India cricketer Harbhajan Singh inquired about the dressing room situation when Pakistan was on the verge of elimination just a few days before.
Rizwan then recalled his conversation with Saqlain, saying that after Pakistan lost the match, he told him that an upset would occur somewhere in the group stage. He also stated that Pakistani team members were ecstatic about the Netherlands’ victory over South Africa on the final day of the group-stage match.
Humare coach aksar keheta hai ki humlog kuch different karne wale hai: Mohammad Rizwan
“Agar honestly pucha jae na jab humlog pehli dafa aap logo se match haare the, humare coach aksar keheta hai ki humlog kuch different karne wale hai. Saqlain bhai especially keheta hain. Pehla match humlog haar gaye. India ne jeeta huya match humse le gaya. Phir Saqlain bhai ne kaha ki woh cheeze puri ho rahi hai jo humlogo ne chaya kuch different hoga aab. Maine bola abhi nehi huya, kahi kuch ek upset hone wala hai. Zimbabwe se jab haare tab Saqlain bhai ne kaha aab woh cheeze puri ho rahi aur aab yaha e humlog final keliye qualify karenge. But phir woh Netherlands and South Africa wala jo match tha. Duae bohot ki thi, pure Pakistan ne ki thi. Aur humlog pavilion se match dekh rahe the. Woh match jaise humlog ne enjoy kiya aur koi match nehi kiya.
“(If you honestly ask me, when we lost to India in the first game Saqlain told me that there would be something different that would happen. I told him, ‘Not yet because there would be some upset somewhere’. When he lost to Zimbabwe, Saqlain told me the same thing. But then the match that happened between Netherlands and South Africa. We were watching from the pavilion. We did not enjoy any other match like we did in that game),” he said.
