Rizwan advocates rest days ahead of T20 World Cup

Pakistan wicket-keeper Mohammad Rizwan has called for rest days ahead of the T20 World Cup 2021, scheduled to take place between October 17 and November 14 in Oman and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), hinting at the possibility that he may want to skip the upcoming series against Afghanistan.

Rizwan, addressing a virtual press conference ahead of the second and final Test between Pakistan and West Indies, said it has been tough playing non-stop cricket, and said a short mental break before the T20 World Cup and other major series against New Zealand and England will not be a bad idea.

Pakistan has a busy schedule with 11 ODIs and T20s scheduled within one-and-a-half months against Afghanistan, England and New Zealand ahead of the World T20.

“We have been playing regularly over the past eight to 10 months and that too in a bio-secure bubble which is tough.

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“As you all know that our main target is the World Cup, which is why the main players want to rest mentally and come back fresh for the World Cup and other major series before that.”

He also hinted at getting the rest during the three-match ODI series against Afghanistan that starts on September 3 in Sri Lanka.

“As it [matches against Afghanistan] is an ODI series, we can also test our bench strength and give opportunities to other players,” he added.

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Rizwan has featured in 44 matches since April 2020 followed by Babar Azam (40) and Shaheen Afridi (37). Three of them have also played two editions of the PSL, adding to their time spent in bio-secure bubbles.

Following his press conference, the media was rife with reports that four key players including Azam, Rizwan, Shaheen, and Hasan Ali are likely to be rested for the Afghanistan ODIs to manage their workload.