ICC Champions Trophy: Rizwan & Co. serve a discover with document chase

There are ominous indicators from the Pakistan camp, hosts of the ICC Champions Trophy, that they could possibly be a critical contender for retaining the crown – albeit at a spot of eight years. Their document ODI chase, when Mohammad Rizwan & Co overhauled a goal of 353 in opposition to South Africa in Karachi haven’t solely propelled them to the ultimate of the tri-series in opposition to New Zealand on Friday, however underlined the potential of the inexperienced shirts on batting-friendly wickets which shall be on supply within the ICC match.

They shut out the Proteas by six wickets in an epic chase on Wednesday – constructed round a document 260-run partnership for the fourth wicket by Rizwan (122 not out off 128 balls) and Salman Agha’s maiden ODI century (134 off 103). They got here collectively when the Pakistan chase was starting to get unstuck and surpassed the earlier document of 206 for the fourth wicket between Shoaib Malik and Younis Khan in opposition to India in 2009.

Is it a case of Pakistan doing ‘Pakistan issues’? Not fairly, if one evaluations their efficiency on this format over the previous couple of months – which included an away sequence win in Australia in November after which a 3-0 sweep over the Proteas at their yard. Granted that South Africa had been with out the companies of their tempo warhead Anrich Nortje and Gerald Coetzee on Wednesday, however the centurion duo’s composed strategy in taking down such a stiff goal should be a welcome augury for his or her followers at residence.