If you enjoy watching Pakistan cricket, you may be interested in learning more about Mohammad Rizwan. He has played international cricket for Pakistan since 2015 and is currently the only cricketer in the world to score over 1300 international runs in a calendar year (T20Is). In this article, we will take a closer look at Rizwan’s T20 Blast debut and His first-class career.
Mohammad Rizwan’s Test career
Pakistan skipper Mohammad Rizwan has made a brisk start to his Test career. He made his Test debut in 2013 against New Zealand and has played just one Test since then. He made a duck in his maiden innings. In recent years, Rizwan has largely been restricted to ODI cricket after being dropped from the Test set-up before the 2017 Champions Trophy. However, he is back in the ODI setup in 2019 after a long hiatus. While his red ball exploits have largely been overshadowed by his ODI exploits in county cricket, Rizwan is a technically sound player who has made some significant contributions.
A right-hand wicket-keeper batsman, Rizwan has scored hundreds in all three formats. He made his international debut in 2015 and made his ODI debut against Bangladesh. He scored a fluent 67 off 58 balls, but struggled against stronger opposition. The following year, Rizwan was dropped from the Pakistan team due to poor form. In the World T20, he replaced Sarfaraz Ahmed, but is likely to be dropped again this year.
His first-class career
Luke Wright has announced his retirement from First-Class cricket after 15 years. The left-arm fast bowler first made his first-class debut for Victoria in late 2005 and has since played over 144 matches for the county. Although he will no longer play first-class cricket, he will continue to lead the Sharks in the Vitality T20 Blast and is expected to be available for the One-Day Cup campaign.
Arthur Wellard made his Somerset debut in 1927 and played for Somerset from that year until his retirement in 1950. He also took wickets for Weston-super-Mare CC during his qualifying period. Arthur Wellard had an impressive first season in 1929, taking 131 wickets and claiming his first ten wickets in a match. That season, he took six for 108 and four for 28 in the county’s first-class match against Kent. Arthur Wellard was an important member of the Somerset side until his retirement in 1950.
His T20 Blast debut
The Pakistani opener made his T20 Blast debut for Sussex in the second match of the tournament on Monday. He scored 58 off 43 balls in the match against Gloucestershire, including four boundaries and two maximums. Sussex were dismissed for 152 in 20 overs, and Gloucestershire took seven wickets for 24 runs. The Sussex side lost the game by 41 runs, as a result of a poor batting performance by the hosts. Rizwan earlier scored 81 in a friendly against Glamorgan, and overtook his compatriot Umar Akmal as the highest scorer for Pakistan.
Rizwan has made a brilliant year for Pakistan’s T20I team. He opened the year with an unbeaten 104 against South Africa, and went on to score seven half centuries. He is currently the highest run-scorer in a calendar year in T20Is. He also led the Multan Sultans to the 2021 PSL title, which he won in his second T20I season.
His partnership with Babar Azam
After a dazzling ODI series in which Pakistan were beaten by New Zealand in the first match, Imam-ul-Haq and Babar Azam put on a record-breaking 154-run stand for the second wicket, which is still the highest second-wicket stand in Test cricket. Imam-ul-Haq and Babar Azam also shared five hundred-run stands in county cricket, with three of those coming in the 90s.
Earlier in the season, Rizwan-Azam formed a record-breaking partnership in T20Is, scoring 152 runs for any wicket in an innings. This partnership broke the previous record set by Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Malik against India in 2012. The pair scored 106 runs for the fourth wicket against India in 2012, a partnership that still stands today. On the international stage, Rizwan-Azam’s partnership has contributed to Pakistan winning over 70 percent of the time.
His first-class century for Pakistan
Abid Ali became the twelfth Pakistani batsman to score a century on Test debut. The 32-year-old made his test debut against Sri Lanka in Rawalpindi in December 2019, scoring 109 not out. He followed that up with a hundred in his ODI debut against Australia in Dubai. His remarkable run rate in both formats made him one of the most prolific batsmen in Pakistan.
During the 2003 World Cup, Younus Khan returned to the Pakistani side after being dropped for the first Test against England in Karachi. He soon became a force in the team, scoring three centuries in the whitewash of Australia. Khan was elevated to vice-captain for the tour of India. In the final Test, he scored 267, becoming the most expensive Pakistani batsman to score a century. His innings also set a record of the highest first-class century by a Pakistani cricketer.
His first-class century for Sussex
Cheteshwar Pujara scored his maiden century for Sussex against Derbyshire on Friday, the first time he has reached this landmark in over two years. He made the century in 237 balls with a stunning flick through mid-wicket. The wicket was dry and the wind had turned, but Pujara’s stroke-play was impeccable. He reached his 50th first-class century, making him the first Indian player to reach that milestone. Sussex were bowled out for just 74 in 56.3 overs in response to Derbyshire’s 505.
Adams began his career with Derbyshire in 1988 before moving to Sussex in 1998. He helped Sussex win the Championship last season and has since joined Carl Hooper and Mark Ramprakash in claiming a full set of county centuries. Stuart Law and Graeme Hick have yet to score a century against the old county Essex. Despite his first-class century for Sussex, he has played five Tests for his country between 1998 and 2000 and averages just over 40 in first-class cricket.
