Mohammad Rizwan is a wicket-keeper batter from Pakistan known to bat in tough situations and is known for his acrobatic keeping skills. He generally plays at the top-order unlike other wicketkeeper batters in world cricket.
Wiki/Biography
Mohammad Rizwan was born on Monday, 1 June 1992 (age 31 years; as of 2023) in Peshawar (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Pakistan. His zodiac sign is Gemini. He first played professional cricket for the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited team in 2014-15 where he scored 224 runs. In 2015, he made his international debuts in both ODI and T20I matches against Bangladesh in 2015.
Mohammad Rizwan received his international cap from their bowling coach Waqar Younis
He actually came as a makeshift keeper in place of Sarfraz Ahmed but soon displaced him as a first-choice keeper in his debut test match against New Zealand in November 2016 with his consistent performances in the international circuit. In 2014, he was awarded the central contract by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). Soon, after the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup, he became a prominent member of the side across all formats. He then played his first T20 World Cup game against India on 24 October 2021 where he scored 79 runs off 55 balls and took Pakistan to their first-ever win against the arch-rivals in Cricket World Cups.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 8″
Weight (approx.): 65 kg
Hair Colour: Dark Brown
Eye Colour: Natural Black
Family
Mohammad Rizwan belongs to an Islam family.
Parents & Siblings
There is no information about his parents & siblings.
Wife & Children
Mohammad Rizwan is married and has two daughters.
Mohammad Rizwan with his daughters in a restaurant
Major Records
- Second highest batting average in T20 Internationals (51.20) after Virat Kohli
- Most runs scored in T20 International cricket in a single year
- Second wicketkeeper batter after Brendon McCullum to score centuries in all three formats of international cricket
- Highest partnership for any wicket in T20I cricket while chasing along with Babar Azam on 14 April 2021 against South Africa at SuperSport Park Cricket Stadium in Centurion (South Africa)
- Highest partnership for any wicket against India in T20 cricket
- Highest opening partnership in the Men’s T20 World Cup (unbeaten 152 runs) on 24 October 2021 against India along with Babar Azam
- Most number of catches in an International series by a Pakistan’s wicketkeeper (31)
- First wicketkeeper batter to score a century in T20I cricket for Pakistan on 11 February 2021 against South Africa at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore
- Only Pakistani batter to have scored more than 50 runs in three consecutive T20I innings with 89, 104, and 51 runs
- The highest number of sixes in a T20I innings by a Pakistani batter (7), surpassing Mohammad Hafeez and Ahmed Shehzad
- First wicketkeeper from Pakistan to score two fifties in a series in England
- Second most runs in a T20 International match by a Pakistani wicketkeeper (104 runs against South Africa on 11 February 2021
- Third Pakistan wicketkeeper to earn a Man of the Match award in Tests and first since Sarfaraz Ahmed in 2015
International Debut
T20I– against Bangladesh at Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka on 24 April 2015
ODI– against Bangladesh at Sher-E-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka on 17 April 2015
Test– against New Zealand at Seddon Park in Hamilton (New Zealand) on 25 November 2016
Domestic/State Team(s)
- Peshawar Panthers (2008-2015)
- Administered Tribal Areas
- Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Fighters
- Pakistan Cricket Board Greens
- Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (2011-2018/19)
- Lahore Qalandars (2016-2017)
- Karachi Kings (2018-2020)
- Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (Captain) (2019/20–present)
- Multan Sultans (Captain) (2021)
Jersey Number
#16 (Pakistan)
#16 (PSL)
Career
He started playing cricket for the Pakistan-A team in December 2014 against the Kenya team where he played as a wicketkeeper batter. A few days later, he helped Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited to clinch their second title of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Gold League. National Bank of Pakistan was batting first. With the help of Mohammad Nawaz and Qaiser Abbas fifties, their team posed 242 runs on the board in the first inning. In reply, the Sui Northern team lost their first three wickets for 70 runs. The fourth batter also departed early. Rizwan had a 251 runs partnership with Khurram Shehzad and ultimately, his team got wrapped up for 543 runs. Rizwan batted for more than eight hours and hit 28 fours in that inning of 224 runs. In the fourth inning, his team required 208 runs on the last day with a few overs left. The match ended in a draw but his team won the title on a basis of a first-inning lead.
Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited team with a trophy. Rizwan fourth from left (standing in front)
Soon, he got a chance to play an international game against Bangladesh in an ODI match in Dhaka on 17 April 2015. In his very first match, he scored 67 runs off 58 balls under pressure when Pakistan was chasing a target of 330. Pakistan though lost the match but Rizwan’s contribution with the bat helped him play the remaining ODI matches where he scored 13 and 4 respectively.
Mohammad Rizwan with a bat in his debut ODI match
A few days later, in the same tour, he made his T20 International debut against the Bangladeshi side where he didn’t get the chance to bat. On 24 May 2015, he batted for the first time against Zimbabwe at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Pakistan required 176 runs to win. He didn’t do much in batting but his team won that match by two wickets.
Rizwan (2nd from right) celebrating the wicket with Shahid Afridi and Ahmed Shehzad
He didn’t do much after that and went through a bad phase where he was seen struggling against the bowling attacks of Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Australia, and England during the late 2016s. Rizwan made his test debut at Seddon Park in Hamilton (New Zealand) in November 2016 against the Kiwis team. However, he couldn’t do much and got out on the very first ball he faced in Test cricket. The bowler was Neil Wagner. He bowled a bouncer to Rizwan on the leg side and cramped him for a room. Rizwan couldn’t adjust his balance and played a hook shot that went into the safe hands of the square-leg fielder; Matt Henry.
Neil Wagner celebrating after taking a wicket of Mohammad Rizwan
Considering his form in the past, he wasn’t selected for the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy to be held in England & Wales. He played domestic cricket at that time and in April 2018, he was made the vice-captain of the Punjab team for the 2018 Pakistan Cup. He made his highest domestic score (140 runs off 123 balls) against the Federal Areas on 1 May 2018 in a List-A game as a captain. A few months later, he was then made the captain of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa team for the 2019–20 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Gold League. He scored 215 runs while taking six wickets in the 2019-20 National T20 Cup which began soon after the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. He then played some brilliant innings in the international limited-overs format. He made his first one-day century against Australia at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in United Arab Emirates (UAE) on 24 March 2019. It was a day & night match and the team was led by veteran Shoaib Malik. Pakistan lost their first two wickets in quick intervals when Rizwan came out to bat at number four in the seventh over. The score was 35. Rizwan held a nerve and started knocking the ball all around the ground for ones and twos. He held a partnership of 52 runs with Haris Sohail and when Haris Sohail got out, the next batter couldn’t stay longer and Pakistan lost their fourth wicket on a score of 112 runs. Shoaib Malik along with Rizwan took the score to 239 runs. Rizwan went on to score 115 runs after facing 126 deliveries and helped his side to reach 284 runs for the loss of seven wickets.
Mohammad Rizwan playing a cut during his inning
Mohammad Rizwan raising his bat after scoring a century
His form continued and two-match later, he again scored a century against the same side. Though, Pakistan lost that match by a fewer margin. He held a 144-runs stand with Abid Ali and ended his inning on 104 runs after getting caught on deep backward square-leg.
Mohammad Rizwan reacts after getting dismissed
Before the 2019 World Cup, the team management decided to experiment with their combination, and Rizwan was included in Pakistan’s squad for the limited-overs series against South Africa. However, he didn’t get the chance to play in the first three games. In the fourth ODI at Johannesburg on 27 January 2019, he batted at number four and remained unbeaten on 4 runs when the team was chasing 165 runs. In the fifth ODI at Capetown, he could only score 10 runs off 30 balls. Likewise, in the T20 series, he could only manage 29 runs in three games. In the last 11 international games he played, he couldn’t go past fifty runs. He wasn’t picked for the World Cup owing to his poor form. He then played his second test match on 21 November 2019 against Australia at the Gabba in Brisbane where he scored 37 and 95 runs. His 95 runs came at the time when Pakistan was on a verge of a large inning defeat.
Mohammad Rizwan playing a drive during his inning of 95 runs
In that inning, an incident took place when Rizwan was batting. Australia’s captain and wicketkeeper Tim Paine was standing close to the stumps. During one of his shots, Paine commented from behind,
“You smell very nice.”
This video was shared by the Australian Cricket Board on their Twitter handle,
“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
He scored his first T20I fifty against New Zealand at McLean Park in Napier (New Zealand) on 22 December 2020. Pakistan was given the target of 174 runs. Rizwan was opening the inning. The wickets were constantly falling but Rizwan kept the scoreboard ticking with his 89 runs and got dismissed in the 20th over when Pakistan required just three runs off four balls. Pakistan won this match with two balls to spare.
Mohammad Rizwan playing a shot towards fine-leg
He was then made the captain of the side for the two-test match series against New Zealand commencing from 26 December 2020. The first match was played at Mount Maunganui on the northern island of New Zealand. Rizwan came at the seventh position when the team lost the wicket of Harris Sohail on 52 runs. Rizwan scored 71 runs and got good support from Faheem Ashraf at the other end. In the second inning, Pakistan required 373 runs but lost both their openers without any run. Harris Sohail and Azhar Ali too felt cheap but Rizwan fought hard and along with Fawad Alam took the score closer to the target but got all out for 271 runs and lost the match by 101 runs.
Rizwan and Fawad Alam punching their gloves during their partnership in the second inning
Rizwan scored 60 runs in the second inning.
Rizwan after getting dismissed
He then started displacing Sarfraz Ahmed as the first-choice keeper across all formats of the game. On 4 February 2021, he scored his first test hundred against South Africa at Rawalpindi. In the first inning, he could only score 18 runs. In the second inning, he came out to bat when the team was crumbling on a score of 76 runs losing five wickets. He held a solid partnership with Nauman Ali and took the score close to 300 runs before the inning got wrapped up on 298 runs. Rizwan remained unbeaten on 115.
Mohammad Rizwan celebrating his maiden test century
Rizwan being congratulated by his team members after reaching the dressing room
Interestingly, 34 runs were scored off the cover drive. South Africa was given the target of 370 runs which they failed to achieve. Pakistan won this game by 95 runs. Rizwan was adjudged “Player of the Series”.
Pakistan posing with the trophy. Rizwan is at the extreme left
Later on 11 February 2021, Rizwan scored his maiden T20I hundred against South Africa at Gadaffi Stadium in Lahore. Pakistan while batting first posed 169 runs on the board for the loss of six wickets. Rizwan opened the inning and scored 104 runs off 102 balls. The importance of his inning can be estimated from the fact that the second-highest score in that inning was 21 runs made by Haider Ali.
Mohammad Rizwan and Haider Ali running between the wickets
Pakistan won this match by three runs. Rizwan was also included in the run-out of Proteas batter Reeza Hendricks.
Rizwan (with red shoes) diving toward stumps to dismiss South African Reeza Hendricks
This followed up with 51, 42, and 74 runs. Pakistan won the series 2-1. His next big inning in T20I came on 14 April 2021 at the SuperSport Park in Centurion (South Africa). South Africa scored 203 runs in the first inning. On the other hand, Rizwan and Babar Azam had 197 runs stand and won the match by eight wickets. Rizwan remained unbeaten on 73 runs after facing 47 balls with a strike rate of more than 150.
Mohammad Rizwan playing a flick shot towards mid-wicket
In the same year, the Multan Sultans squad was announced for the Pakistan Super League (PSL) series where Rizwan was made the captain. Under his leadership, Multans went on to win their maiden PSL title. Rizwan was adjudged 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.”
Mohammad Rizwan as the captain of Multan Sultans
In September 2021, the Pakistan squad for the 2021 T20 World Cup was announced where Rizwan was included in the side as the front line keeper.
Pakistan team posing before the 2021 T20 World Cup. Rizwan at the third left (sitting)
Their first match was against India on 24 October 2021 at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Pakistan opted to bowl first and with the fine bowling spell of Shaheen Afridi, India scored 151 runs. In reply, Pakistan registered their first win against India ever in any format of the World Cup.
Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam coming out to bat
This match was won by Pakistan by ten wickets with 13 balls to spare. Rizwan was the top scorer with 79 runs off 55 balls.
Mohammad Rizwan plays a shot
Mohammad Rizwan after winning the match
The reason behind his inning was revealed by International Cricket Council (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
He batted in 34 innings in T20 Internationals (till October 2021) and scored 1177 runs with an average of 51.17. Out of these 34 innings, he went past 50 runs ten times which include 107 fours and 33 sixes. South Africa is his favourite team against whom he had scored 370 runs with an average of 62.16. Apart from Pakistan, he scored most of his runs in Zimbabwe. He played under the captaincy of Babar Azam, Sarfraz Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Shahid Afridi, and Shoaib Malik in T20Is. Talking about his batting position, he is most successful as an opener with 992 runs in 18 innings. He dismissed 28 batters behind the stumps which include six stumpings. Talking about his ODI career, he played 37 innings (till October 2021) and scored 864 runs with an average of 28.80. He went past 50 runs six times. He is most successful against Australia in ODIs with 282 runs in 8 innings he played with an average of 40.28. U.A.E. is his favourite ODI venue where he scored 281 runs in ten innings. At the number four position, he has scored most of his ODI runs (369). He dismissed 38 batters behind the stumps including one stumping. He played under the captaincy of Azhar Ali, Babar Azam, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Hafeez, Sarfraz Ahmed, and Shoaib Malik. He also featured in 26 innings in 17 test matches and scored 914 runs with an average of 41.54. His most test runs are against New Zealand against whom he scored 215 runs with the highest score of 71. In his test career, he played under the captaincy of Azhar Ali and Babar Azam. In test cricket, he is most successful at the seventh position where he scored 474 runs in 12 matches.
Rizwan’s test ranking graph
Controversy
Offering Namaz in a Stadium
Mohammad Rizwan found himself clouded in controversy when a complaint was registered against him with the International Cricket Council (ICC) in October 2023. The complaint was made by an Indian lawyer named Vineet Jindal. The controversy arose on 6 October 2023, when Rizwan offered Namaz at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad during the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup match between Pakistan and Netherlands. In the complaint, Jindal expressed concerns that this act of offering prayers on the field and dedicating his performance to Gaza had religious and political implications that could impact the spirit of sports. During the India-Pakistan match at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, Rizwan was also subjected to chants of ‘Jai Shri Ram’ by Indian cricket fans.
keeping the spirit of sports alive, Advocate Vineet Jindal filed complaint against Mohammed Rizwan, Wicket keeper and batsman of the Pakistan Cricket team for offering “namaz” during Cricket match on 6th Oct’2023 with International Cricket Council. Copy of the complaint also… pic.twitter.com/pugqIjHgev
— Adv.Vineet Jindal (@vineetJindal19) October 14, 2023
Awards
Wisden cricketers of the year 2021 along with Dom Sibley, Zak Crawley, Jason Holder, and Darren Stevens
Favourites
- Cricketer(s)- Babar Azam, Adam Gilchrist
- Cricket Shot– Short-arm Pull
- Cricket Ground- Multan International Cricket Stadium (Pakistan)
Facts/Trivia
- His maiden T20 century against South Africa at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore in February 2021 was appreciated by Marizanne Kapp (South African Woman fast bowler) to which she wrote on Twitter,
Absolutely love this guy @iMRizwanPak , brilliant cricketer 🙌🏻 https://t.co/58OElvw7Eo
— Marizanne Kapp (@kappie777) February 11, 2021
- After his inning against India on 24 October 2021, opposition captain Virat Kohli hugged him on the field and applauded him for his performance.
Virat Kohli hugging Mohammad Rizwan after his inning of 79 runs in the T20 World Cup 2021
This gesture was appreciated by many cricket fanatics around the world. Famous 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.”
Former Indian allrounder Irfan Pathan wrote on Twitter while sharing this heartwarming picture,
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 the Pakistan fans tweeted,
kitni baar jeetogay dil kohli??? pic.twitter.com/mqLvQSDy7h
— Ali (@AliFChishty) October 24, 2021
- In between that inning, he was seen performing Namaz during drinks break after ten overs. Legendary fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar shared this picture on his official Twitter handle,
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
- In a match against Sindh in the national T20 tournament in October 2020, he took a brilliant catch while diving towards mid-on from mid-off position to dismiss Anwar Ali on 33. This catch is been regarded as one of the top catches by a Pakistani in domestic cricket.
Breathtaking catch by Rizwan. Surely one of the best in Pakistan’s cricket history. pic.twitter.com/kBvNzosG8B
— Mazher Arshad (@MazherArshad) October 13, 2020
- On 11 November 2021, he scored 67 off 52 balls in the T20 World Cup semi-final against Australia, though Australia beat Pakistan by 5 wickets, Rizwan was highly praised for his heroic inning as he had spent the previous two nights in the ICU of a hospital for the treatment of a severe chest infection.
Can you imagine this guy played for his country today & gave his best. He was in the hospital last two days. Massive respect @iMRizwanPak . Hero. pic.twitter.com/kdpYukcm5I
— Shoaib Akhtar (@shoaib100mph) November 11, 2021
- In May 2023, Mohammad Rizwan and his fellow cricketer Babar Azam achieved a significant milestone by being the first participants to register for the esteemed executive education program at Harvard Business School. In an interview, Rizwan talked about this and said,
It’s a huge honour to represent Pakistan on such a prestigious global stage. We are going to Harvard to learn from the best in the world and at the same time to share our journey and learnings with everyone.”
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education