Mohammad Rizwan Height, Age, Children, Biography & More » LyricsAndBio

Some Lesser Known Facts about Mohammad Rizwan

Mohammad Rizwan is a wicketkeeper batter from Pakistan. He is known for his acrobatic keeping and ability to adapt in any situation, especially in the limited-overs format.

He first made his mark in cricket while playing for Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited during the final of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy where he scored 224-runs and helped his side clinch the title for the second time in 2014-15. Talking about his List-A career, he played a role of a wicketkeeper batter for Pakistan-A in a limited-overs format against the Kenya team in December 2014.

He made his first international appearance after the 2015 ODI World Cup in April 2015 against Bangladesh in an ODI where he scored 67 runs of 58 balls. Bangladesh was batting first and gave Pakistan the target of 330 runs within the allotted 50-overs. In reply, when Pakistan was batting, Rizwan came at three down in 28th over when their captain Azhar Ali got dismissed off the bowling of Taskin Ahmed. Rizwan held a steady partnership and took the team’s total to 249 runs though Pakistan lost the match by 79 runs. In his next two games, he could only score 13 and 4 runs.

In the same month, he made his T20I debut against Bangladesh where he didn’t get the chance to bat. He first batted in a T20I against Zimbabwe on 24 May 2015 at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Zimbabwe scored mammoth 175 runs in the first inning. Pakistan on the other hand, with the help of Mukhtar Ahmed’s fifty and Umar Akmal’s 30 runs chased the target with two balls to spare. Rizwan came at the seventh position but could only manage to score six runs. He went through a bad patch later where he was seen struggling against the bowling attacks of England and New Zealand. Even he struggled against the pace attacks of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka during the late 2016s. As a result, he lost his place in the 2016 T20 World Cup.

As Sarfraz was securing his place, Rizwan’s opportunities seemed to fade away until November 2016, when he made his test debut against New Zealand. Rizwan couldn’t do much in this match and got out on a golden duck of the bowling of Neil Wagner while hooking a shorter delivery that went into the hands of the square-leg fielder. Rizwan then got the chance to bat in the second inning and remained not out on 13 runs after staying for 57 minutes. New Zealand won this match by 138 runs. Rizwan’s all debuting international games ended on a losing side. Following the ODI series against Australia in early 2017, his international career was at the fate. He wasn’t reckoned for any of the matches later on. Where Sarfraz led Pakistan to the 2017 Champions Trophy, Rizwan was seen grinding himself in the domestic circuit.

In April 2018, he was made the deputy captain of the Punjab team for the 2018 Pakistan Cup. Soon, on 1 May 2018, he made his highest score against the Federal Areas in a List-A match where he scored 140 runs of 123 balls. In March 2019, he led the captaincy of the Federal Areas for the Pakistan Cup.

Later in the same year, he was also made the captain of  Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for the  2019–20 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. He continued his form with his all-round performance of 215 runs and taking six wickets in the 2019-20 National T20 Cup.

He was constantly making his mark in the shorter format of the games and soon he was awarded the central contract for the 2018-19 season along with 32 other players by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). He then led the charge of Pakistan’s team in the  2018 ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup. Under his leadership, Pakistan reached the semi-finals.

He scored his first ODI century against Australia on 24 March 2019 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in the UAE. He was batting at the fourth position when his team lost two quick wickets within a span of seven overs. Rizwan scored gritty 115 runs with a strike rate of almost 91 and helped his side give a formidable target of 285 runs. Aussies easily chased the target with 13 balls to spare losing just two wickets. Five days later, he again scored a hundred against the same side at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Pakistan was given the target of 278 runs. They were losing wickets in quick successions but Rizwan along with Abid Ali held a partnership of 144 runs and took the side closer to the chase but they lost the match by six runs.

Just before the ODI World Cup 2019, Pakistan decided to experiment with their team’s combination. Rizwan was placed in the side for the series against South Africa. However, he couldn’t do much, and in his last 11 international series, he was gone without scoring even a fifty from his bat. But again he was given a chance against Australia in a one-dayers. Rizwan grabbed it with both hands and smashed two hundred in the series which prompt national selectors to pick him for the three-match series against Sri Lanka in Karachi. Pakistan failed to make it to the semis of the World cup. Misbah-Ul-Haq was made the coach of the team. Talking about Rizwan inclusion in the line-up, Misbah told the media,

“Sarfaraz and Rizwan’s roles are different. If someone has scored two hundred at No. 4, you have a chance. You have the added advantage of having two wicketkeepers, fitness-wise he is very good, and he will be in the loop. We are trying to encourage such players and we will try to give them matches whenever we have a chance.”

Rizwan started displacing Sarfraz as the first-choice wicketkeeper across all international formats. He then played five tests against Australia, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh where he performed brilliantly knocking off the star bowlers like Mitchell Starc and Mustafizur Rahman. He also played five T20I after that and scored the highest of 95 runs against the relentless Australian bowling attack.

He played his second test match on 21 November 2019 against Australia at the Gabba in Brisbane where he scored 37 and 95 runs. In his first inning dismissal, there were debates that the ball which he edged was a no-ball. In June 2020, he was included in the 29-man squad against England during the COVID pandemic. Just before the match, Rizwan along with seven other players was tested COVID positive. Next month, he was included in Pakistan’s 20-man squad for the Test series against England. He scored 161 runs in that series with two half-centuries. After the match, former England’s cricketer Michael Atherton remarked,

“Mohammad Rizwan has been the wicketkeeper of the summer in terms of pure glove work.”

In that match, an incident took place when Rizwan was batting. Australia’s captain Tim Paine was behind the stumps. When Nathan Lyon was bowling, Rizwan defended the bat and Tim Paine started commenting,

“You smell very nice.”

This video was shared by the Australian Men’s Cricket Team official website on Twitter,

“He smells very nice.”

Tim Paine was impressed with Muhammad Rizwan’s scent upon his arrival at the crease 😅#AUSvPAK pic.twitter.com/DMHYDEm2Pl

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) November 21, 2019

Soon, he cemented his place in the side as a permanent wicketkeeper ahead of Sarfraz Ahmed.

Sarfraz also earned his place in the side for the tour of England but as a second-choice wicketkeeper. Rizwan’s England tour started on a good note when he scored 154-runs, not out in the practice game. However, after that he failed to cross the 30-runs mark in the three-innings he played after that. During a media conference, it was asked Rizwan about the presence of Sarfraz in the team to which he replied,

“I am a fan of Sarfaraz and have a lot of love in my heart for him. There is no added pressure on me due to his presence. He’s my senior and I am learning a lot from him.”

During a match when Rizwan was leading  Khyber Pakhtunkhwa against Sindh in the National T20 tournament in October 2020, he took a splendid catch running towards mid-0n to dismiss Anwar Ali on 33. One of the users shared this video on Twitter,

Breathtaking catch by Rizwan. Surely one of the best in Pakistan’s cricket history. pic.twitter.com/kBvNzosG8B

— Mazher Arshad (@MazherArshad) October 13, 2020

In December 2020, he was made the captain for the first test match against New Zealand at the Mount Maunganui Stadium in Zealand where he scored brilliant 71 and 60 runs. He replaced injured Babar Azam. He then played a T20I series against the same side under the captaincy of Shadab Khan. It was a three-match assignment. In the first two games, he could only score 17 and 22 runs. But in the third T20, Rizwan scored 89 runs (his first T20I fifty) after facing 59 balls. Pakistan chased the target of 174 with two balls to spare and prevented his side from getting a complete whitewash.

In February 2021, a team for Multan Sultans was announced where Rizwan was made the captain of the side. He replaced Shan Masood ahead of the Pakistan Super League 6 (PSL 6). In his very first assignment as the captain, Multan Sultans bagged their maiden title in the PSL, and Rizwan was awarded the ‘Wicket-keeper of the tournament’. After the match, he said,

“I look forward to lead the Multan Sultans team for the upcoming season. I have understood the innovative approach the franchise applied last season and am looking forward to playing my part this season. Multan Sultans had a successful PSL 5 and we will aspire to go even better this time around especially with senior Pakistani players like Shahid Afridi, Shan Masood, and Sohail Tanvir.”

On 4 February 2021, Rizwan scored his first test hundred against South Africa at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium in the second inning. Pakistan lost their first four wickets for 63 runs when Rizwan came out to bat along with Azhar Ali. The wickets were falling from another end but Rizwan steadied the ship with the brilliant unbeaten 115 runs. South Africa was given the target of 370 runs which they lost by 95 runs. Rizwan took the catches of Dean Elgar and Temba Bavuma in that inning. He was also awarded the “Player of the Series”. In September 2021, he was named in Pakistan’s squad for the ICC T20 world cup 2021. Babar Azam was made the captain.

A few days later on 11 February, Rizwan scored his maiden T20 century against South Africa at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Pakistan lost their captain Babar Azam in the first over. Gradually, they lost wickets at constant intervals but Rizwan fought lone battle and scored 104 runs after facing 64 balls. It was in this match where he held the record for the most sixes by a Pakistani player in T20 internationals. This match went to the wire as South Africa required 31 runs off the last two overs. But they could only manage to achieve 166 runs and lost the match by three runs. This inning was admired by the South African’s women fast bowler Marizanne Kapp who tweeted,

“Absolutely love this guy @iMRizwanPak, brilliant cricketer.”

In July 2021, he has been promoted to the Category A contract by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) along with Hasan Ali. Talking about his promotion to that category, PCB stated,

“Rizwan has been rewarded for his consistent performance across all formats by moving him from Category B to Category A.”

On 24 October 2021, Rizwan scored 79 runs off 55 balls and helped Pakistan beat India for the first time in any World Cup game. Pakistan and India have played 12 World Cup games in total where India has won all of them. This was their thirteenth game. In the ICC T20 World Cup 2021, Pakistan after winning the toss opted to bowl first considering the dew factor in mind. This match was played at the Dubai International Stadium. India with the help of captain Virat Kohli‘s 57 run-knock posed 151 runs on the board. Rizwan and Babar Azam were opening the innings for Pakistan. They both played cautiously and kept the required run-rate within their reach. Finally, his side achieved the target without losing any wicket in the 18th over.

After the match, Virat Kohli hugged Rizwan and applauded him for his inning. This gesture was highly acknowledged by the people across both nations. Famous cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle said,

“Really loved the scenes at the end between Virat and Rizwan and Babar and thereafter between some of the younger Pakistan players and Dhoni. Beyond the hype and posturing, this is the true story of the sport.”

While former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan shared a picture on Twitter,

Spirit of cricket. Sprit of human beings. #remember don’t let ppl fool you. pic.twitter.com/2ZXBR8RpRL

— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) October 24, 2021

One of Pakistan’s fans tweeted,

kitni baar jeetogay dil kohli??? pic.twitter.com/mqLvQSDy7h

— Ali 🇵🇰 (@AleyFarooq_) October 24, 2021

The reason behind that inning was revealed by the ICC in their tweet,

Dream. Visualise. Execute.

Mohammad Rizwan’s masterpiece started before a ball was bowled 🎨#T20WorldCup #INDvPAK pic.twitter.com/o4m8biFhdP

— ICC (@ICC) October 25, 2021

During an interview with PCB, Rizwan told,

“I always enjoyed batting but unfortunately couldn’t perform well in this department at the start of my international career, but a change in the batting order has favored me a lot. Current team management has shown their confidence by promoting my batting order and I tried to capitalize it well.”

He also told that he got good support from some of the former Pakistani players. Further, he stated,

“At the start of my international career, no one believed that I could hit long sixes but off course I worked on my hard-hitting ability. I was fortunate enough to get tips from Mohammad Hafeez, Mushtaq Ahmed, and Shahid Afridi. Once Ramiz Raja was walking beside the nets and he asked me to keep the head still, which helped me a lot. I have worked really hard on my batting and wicket-keeping skills before the tour of England last year. In England, the conditions were tough and the red ball swings late, so to get command over it, you have to work extra hard on it. In white-ball cricket, English conditions are favorable to score runs on board. If you stay longer on the wicket, you will get more out of it. I have worked on it and will try to implement this in the forthcoming series.”

In between the match, during the drinks break, Rizwan was seen performing Namaz during Pakistan’s batting. Shoaib Akhtar shared this video on Twitter,

Allah us sar ko kisi aur k aagay jhuknay nahi deta jo us k saamnay jhukta hai.
Subhan Allah. pic.twitter.com/pmeE9FwYQG

— Shoaib Akhtar (@shoaib100mph) October 24, 2021

Before that match, former Pakistani captain Younis Khan who led his team to the first T20 World Cup title in 2009 said during an interview that

“Virat Kohli and Babar Azam are two very bankable batters for both India and Pakistan respectively, but I feel that Rohit Sharma and Mohammad Rizwan can also turn up the heat. The spotlight will largely be on the two captains, so Rohit and Rizwan will be eased off pressure and can produce match-winning performances for their sides.”

As of October 2021, he played 44 T20I matches (as of October 2021) and scored 1144 runs with a strike rate of 130 which includes one hundred and nine fifties. South Africa is his favorite team against whom he has scored 373 runs in ten matches with an average of 62 which is more than his career’s average (52). His highest score of 104 runs came against this side. Interestingly, he has a better record overseas where he scored 827 runs in 32 matches. He has scored 235 runs in Zimbabwe out of the five matches he played there with an impressive average of 117.50. He played under the captaincies of Babar Azam, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Shahid Afridi, and Shoaib Malik. He has a better average (61.09) batting first. He is most successful as the opening batter in T20I cricket with 913 runs in 17 matches. Out of the 44 T20I he played, he took 22 catches as a keeper with six stumpings.

Talking about his ODI record, he has played 41 matches (as of October 2021) and scored 864 runs with a strike rate of 87.62 which includes two hundred and four fifties. He has scored the most number of ODI runs against Australia (282 runs) with an average of 40.28. His highest score of 115 runs came against this side. This followed up with England and Sri Lanka. He is most successful in UAE with a score of 281 runs in 11 innings. The year 2015 is his most successful year till date in terms of ODI runs (332 runs). He played the captaincies of Azhar Ali, Babar Azam, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Hafeez, Sarfaraz Ahmed, and Shoaib Malik. He scored most of his runs while playing at the 4th position. He has never opened the batting in this format.

In the longest format of the game that is Test cricket, he played 17 matches (as of October 2021) and scored 914 runs with an average of 41.54. He scored one hundred and six fifties with the highest score of 115 runs. He scored most of his runs against New Zealand where he scored 215 runs with the highest being 71. 2021 is his most successful year in the test cricket where he scored 397 runs with an average of 44.11. He played under Azhar Ali and Babar Azam. He is most successful at the seventh position in test cricket where he scored 474 runs in 12 matches.