Eng vs Pak: Was conscious of not adding extra pressure on Rizwan in first T20I, says Babar

Birmingham [UK], July 18 (ANI): Pakistan skipper Babar Azam has said that he was conscious of not adding more pressure on his opening partner Mohammad Rizwan in the first T20I of the three-match series against England.
In the first T20I on Friday, Babar and Rizwan put on 150 runs for the first wicket as the visitors put on 232/6 in the allotted twenty overs. This was also Pakistan's highest-score in T20Is.
"We discussed while going in that we would have a look at the pitch, how it behaved, and at what pace the ball would come [onto the bat]. We took one or two overs [to get our eye in], and I began to charge, because my shots were coming off nicely, but Rizwan bhai, I thought, was struggling for a few balls, so I was conscious of not adding any extra pressure on him. We spoke about having to score 10 an over, 8 an over, because it would be easier for the incoming batsmen if we put on a good, long partnership," ESPNcricinfo quoted Babar as saying.
"We have a belief in each other, that whenever [the ball] goes in the gap, we can run two. Sometimes we don't even call, and start running with just a signal from the eyes," he added.
Talking about the opening stand, Rizwan said: "The key thing about our partnership is that whenever one of us looks to start power-hitting, we go and ask our partner. So we get the confidence that the non-striker has backed our instinct, and I know that the captain (Azam) has given me his inputs, or vice-versa, on whether this is the time for power-hitting or it isn't, and that eases the situation for both of us."
Liam Livingstone scored the fastest T20I century by an England player but failed to take the hosts over the line as Pakistan recorded a 31-run win in the first T20I on Friday.
Both teams will lock horns in the second T20I of the three-match series later today. (ANI)