Tag: Mohammad Rizwan

  • Mohammad Rizwan gifts Matthew Hayden a translation of the Quran

    Mohammad Rizwan gifts Matthew Hayden a translation of the Quran

    Pakistan’s wicket-keeper batter Mohammad Rizwan has gifted an English translation of the Holy Quran to consultant coach Matthew Hayden.

    Hayden has revealed in his latest interview that he was curious about Islam and Rizwan gifted him the Holy Quran with English translation.

    “It was Rizzy (Mohammad Rizwan) and I have to say it was a beautiful moment I will never forget. I am curious about Islam even though I am a Christian. One follows Christ and the other Muhammad and in a sense never shall meet but he presented me with an English version of the Quran. We sat on the floor for half an hour and talked through it. I am reading a bit of it each day. Rizzy is one of my favourite individuals, a champion human being,” Hayden said.

    As per reports, Matthew Hayden has been impressed by the humbleness of the Pakistan cricket team, saying that they connect to a higher level.

    “I was taken aback by how neutral and humble these guys are. How everything is just meant to be. It has been great fun. They are really coachable athletes as well. It stems from a deep sense of spirituality. As a westerner, you don’t realise the implications of having that commitment and faith. Even their salat – their five different prayer sessions a day. You can be outside a lift or even in a lift and if it is time for salat, that is what happens. These guys connect at a higher level. It’s not like ‘how ya going, today mate?’” Hayden added.

    “Inside the changing room I’ve never seen a more disciplined and more humble approach to winning,” he added.

    The former Australian cricketer also lauded Babar and Rizwan in a previous interview, saying: ” Babar and Rizwan have created a unique opening for themselves.”

    In 2021, skipper Babar and Rizwan have amassed 826 runs in 14 Twenty20 international partnerships. They put on an unbroken 152-run stand, their third as an opening pair, as Pakistan trounced India in Dubai by 10 wickets. This is their first win over their arch-rivals in 13 World Cup matches.

    Now both Babar and Rizwan are the heart and soul of the Pakistan team as they target a second T20 World Cup title.

    The Green Shirts will be facing Australia in the second semi-final of the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup. If they’ll win this match, they will be playing against New Zealand in the finals.

  • ‘Said something in the heat of the moment’: Waqar Younis apologises for his remarks

    ‘Said something in the heat of the moment’: Waqar Younis apologises for his remarks

    Former Pakistan pacer and bowling coach Waqar Younis has apologised for his remarks after Pakistan’s 10-wicket win over India in the ongoing T20 World Cup in Dubai on Sunday.

    A day after the match, the former fast bowler was invited as a guest to ARY News to discuss Pakistan’s comprehensive win. During the discussion, an overexcited Younis said that it was very special for him to watch Mohammad Rizwan offer Namaz in front of Hindus during the match. Opener Rizwan was seen offering prayers during the drinks break in the India-Pakistan game.

    Waqar’s comment drew sharp reactions from the cricket fraternity and from Pakistani fans. Twitter was flooded with reactions lambasting Younis for his unsavoury remark.

    Indian cricket analyst Harsha Bhogle and Akash Chopra had also expressed their displeasure over Waqar’s comments. “For a person of Waqar Younis’ stature to say that watching Rizwan offering namaz in front of Hindus was very special to him, is one of the most disappointing things I have heard. A lot of us try hard to play such things down and talk up sport and to hear this is terrible,” Bhogle wrote.

    Former India cricketer Wasim Jaffer also wrote, “Absolutely vile and disgusting comments from Waqar Younis.”

    Realising his mistake after the criticism, Waqar wrote on Twitter, “In the heat of the moment, I said something which I did not mean which has hurt the sentiments of many. I apologise for this, this was not intended at all, genuine mistake. Sports unites people regardless of race, colour or religion. #apologies.”

    Waqar also apologised in his show on A Sports, saying: “I was all excited that Pakistan won and watching Rizwan praying also made me proud. My intentions were not to harm anyone’s sentiments. I apologise if anyone got hurt by my comments.”

    https://twitter.com/furqanmk9/status/1453141796159213576?s=21

    Pakistan brought an end to India’s near-three-decade domination of them in the most convincing fashion, embarrassing their arch-rivals by 10 wickets in the Super 12 stage of the T20 World Cup.

  • Mohammad Rizwan backs Shami after Indian social media abuse

    Mohammad Rizwan backs Shami after Indian social media abuse

    Pakistan’s wicket-keeper batter Mohammad Rizwan has backed Indian cricketer Mohammad Shami after he received hatred on social media by Indians for the loss against Pakistan.

    Taking to Twitter, Rizwan wrote: “The kind of pressure, struggles & sacrifices a player has to go through for his country & his people is immeasurable. @MdShami11 is a star and indeed of the best bowlers in the world.”

    He further requested fans to “respect your stars. This game should bring people together and not divide them.”

    Earlier, many notables extended their support to the Indian pacer. Former Indian pacer Irfan Pathan also came to Shami’s defence after the player was being subjected to abuse on the basis of his religion, with people accusing him of being a traitor.

    Along with him, many people from the cricketing fraternity extended their support to the 31-year-old player.

    South African spinner Tabraiz Shamsi took to Twitter and said: “People who abuse players on social media because of a rough performance are IDIOTS!”

    “Neither the players or real sports loving fans appreciate that kind of behaviour,” he added.

    The left-armer also cheered his colleague, calling him a “champ”.

    Shami conceded 43 runs in 3.5 overs at an economy rate of 11.21. Rizwan and Babar Azam clinched the match from India, beating the neighbours by 10 wickets.

  • Actor Shaan terms Kohli’s innings ‘for self’, Babar’s for the team, backtracks later

    Actor Shaan terms Kohli’s innings ‘for self’, Babar’s for the team, backtracks later

    Pakistan’s leading film actor Shaan Shahid has apologised to his fans after he took to Twitter and said that Virat Kohli’s fifty was selfish and Babar Azam’s half century was for the team.

    The Khuda Kay Liye star took to Twitter and shared his thoughts on the scores of both the captains and said: “Kohli’s 51 was for himself but Baber’s 50 + was for the team. #baberazam mughlay Azam #greenpoweristhefuture.”

    Many fans criticised the Waar actor for his comments. Here are a few reactions:

    https://twitter.com/_AndLife_GoesOn/status/1452599279361658880?s=20

    Shaan later tweeted and said: “I agree with all of you kohli played a brilliant innings as well.”

    Pakistan crushed India by 10 wickets after a terrific inning by Babar and Mohammad Rizwan. Babar and Rizwan’s 152-run partnership for Pakistan was not just a match-winning stand, but also the biggest opening partnership in the history of the Men’s T20 World Cup and Pakistan’s second-biggest partnership in a T20I for any wicket.

    The Green Shirts will be facing New Zealand on Tuesday in their next match in the World Cup’s Super twelves.

  • ‘This is for you’: Babar Azam dedicates the win to Pakistani fans

    ‘This is for you’: Babar Azam dedicates the win to Pakistani fans

    Pakistani captain Babar Azam has dedicated the historic win against India to his fans.

    Taking to Twitter, he shared pictures of the winning moments and wrote: “This is for you, Pakistan. History made. All eyes on the next game, In Sha Allah #PakistanZindabad.”

    Babar and Mohammad Rizwan’s 152-run partnership for Pakistan was not just a match-winning stand, but also the biggest opening partnership in the history of the Men’s T20 World Cup and Pakistan’s second-biggest partnership in a T20I for any wicket.

    Azam and Rizwan’s combined efforts overtook Chris Gayle and Devon Smith’s 145 against South Africa in 2007 as the top opening stand in Men’s T20 World Cups.

    Speaking after the match, Azam explained how he and his partner approached the record run-chase.

    “The plan with Rizwan is always to keep it simple,” he said. “We tried to get deep in the crease and from about the eighth over the dew came in and the ball came on nicely.

    “This is just the start, we have confidence to build on now. It will remain match by match for us.

    “The pressure on us wasn’t that much – we weren’t thinking of the record against India at all. I only wanted to back all our players who’ve been preparing well.”

    Meanwhile, Azam and Rizwan’s 152 is the second biggest partnership for any wicket in Men’s T20 World Cup history, 14 runs shy of Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene’s extraordinary 166 against West Indies in 2010.

    The partnership is also the biggest for any wicket in a T20I against India, and consigned India to their first-ever ten-wicket defeat in T20s.

    Shaheen Shah Afridi also bagged three big Indian wickets on a big night. For his performance with the ball, Afridi got Player of the Match award.

    Other team members also took to the social media to express their happiness:

    https://twitter.com/76Shadabkhan/status/1452333304997421057?s=20

    Prime Minister Imran Khan, who is in Saudi Arabia, was also watching the match and later took to Twitter to share the picture and congratulated Pakistan for this historic win.

    Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Qamar Javed Bajwa also congratulated the team for the “outstanding performance and comprehensive win against India.”

    Beating India by 10 wickets, Pakistan is eyeing its next victory in the match against New Zealand on Tuesday.

  • Pakistan crushes India: All the memes you cannot miss

    Pakistan crushes India: All the memes you cannot miss

    History has been made. Pakistan defeated India for the first time in a World Cup fixture by 10 wickets after losing 12 straight matches to the Men in Blue.

    While chasing 152, Pakistani openers Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan played till the end. Shaheen Shah Afridi remained in the limelight by taking three blue wickets, including skipper Virat Kohli’s at 57.

    Since Sunday night, hashtags related to the match have been trending as Pakistanis were cheering the brilliant victory of boys in green.

    Memes were all over Pakistani Twitter so here are all the MUST-SEE memes that you cannot miss.

    Sorry neighbour, we rock!

  • Rizwan, Fakhar, Shaheen congratulate KPK for defending National T20 Cup Title

    Rizwan, Fakhar, Shaheen congratulate KPK for defending National T20 Cup Title

    Pakistani cricketers Mohammad Rizwan, Fakhar Zaman and Shaheen Shah Afridi, who are currently in a bio-secure bubble for the ICC T20 World Cup and who were also the part of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) team, congratulated their team for defending the title and beating Central Punjab at the Gaddafi Stadium on Wednesday after Captain Iftikhar Ahmed produced an all-round performance.

    “Huge congratulations to the whole KPK as we have successfully defended our title. We decided in our very first meeting to play like warriors and Alhumdulillah we managed to do that successfully. What a team. What a performance,” wrote Rizwan while congratulating his team.

    Fakhar Zaman and Shaheen Shah Afridi also took to Twitter to congratulate their team.

    The KPK captain completed the run chase by smoking Mohammad Faizan for a four through cover on the last ball of the 17th over and unleashed a roar in the Lahore night sky. He bagged the player of the final and the best player of the tournament awards.

    Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 152 for 3 (Iftikhar 45*, Ghulam 37) beat Central Punjab 148 (Shehzad 44, Akmal 42, Iftikhar 3-5, Imran 3-26) by seven wickets

  • Shoaib Akhtar says ‘Rizwan has proven to be an asset for Pakistan’

    Shoaib Akhtar says ‘Rizwan has proven to be an asset for Pakistan’

    Former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar has heaped praise on Mohammad Rizwan, saying the wicket-keeper batsman has proved that he is “an asset for Pakistan”.

    Pakistan were under the pump after being on the receiving end of a shocking 19-run loss in the second T20I, which was also Zimbabwe’s first-ever win over Pakistan in T20Is. Pakistan were given a paltry total of 119, but they collapsed to 99 all out to put series on the line.

    But on Sunday, the visiting side approached their batting with better intent and paced it better. Pakistan had added Sharjeel Khan in the side, which meant that Babar Azam was pushed to third spot while Rizwan and Sharjeel opened the batting.

    Sharjeel didn’t impress in his appearance but Rizwan stuck right till the end, notching up an extremely impressive 91 off 60 balls to get his side to 165.

    “Rizwan’s intent towards Pakistan is amazing. The way he is serving Pakistan, it’s fabulous to see that someone is playing for his side with this good intent,” said Akhtar on his YouTube Channel. “All of them play like this. 91 off 60, he’s proven that he is an asset for Pakistan.”

    Akhtar added that Pakistan needed to sort out its middle order, which has been under the radar for a while now. He said that Rizwan should contribute to Pakistan if the management requires him to bat in the middle order to sort out this crisis.

    “Rizwan should contribute for his side in the middle order if they require him in that role,” he continued. “Pakistan should improve their selection, they should sort out their middle order and the X-factor in the bowling should be brought back. Many congratulations to this side for winning.”

    Read more – Afridi wants PCB to review middle-order performances, suggests Shoaib Malik’s inclusion in T20Is

    There was a slight scare for Pakistan after Madhevere (59 off 47) and Marumani (35 off 26) were starting to find momentum in the run-chase. The 20-year-old Madhevere was impressive in his stroke-play but Pakistan bowlers, in particular Hasan Ali, did a good job to pull things back.

    For his career best four-wicket haul, Hassan received Player of the Match award.

    Shoaib said there was a slight doubt in his mind that Zimbabwe might win this and if that happened, the defeat would’ve been a hard pill to swallow. “There was a slight doubt in my mind that Zimbabwe might get away by chasing this total down, it would have been embarrassing. It wouldn’t have been easy to bear that.”

    Rizwan now holds the record for the most runs in 11 consecutive innings across T20Is. He has scored seven fifty plus scores in this period.

    The opener has also bagged his second consecutive Player of the Series award.

    Meanwhile, Azam has become the fastest batsman to reach 2000 T20I runs. He has taken only 52 innings to achieve the feat, beating Indian Cricket Team captain Virat Kohli. Babar reached to 2000 T20I runs four innings quicker than him.

    Pakistan and Zimbabwe will now go head-to-head in two-match Test series, which starts April 29.

  • Rizwan, Usman, Hasnain help Pakistan beat Zimbabwe with 11 runs

    Rizwan, Usman, Hasnain help Pakistan beat Zimbabwe with 11 runs

    Pakistan beat Zimbabwe in the first T20I with 11 runs, courtesy of a fine display of bowling from Mohammad Hasnain, Usman Qadir and Mohammad Rizwan’s brilliant knock.

    When no one stood for Pakistan in the batting, Rizwan stood there and helped Pakistan get a decent total of 149 runs. On the other hand, the rest of the team managed to score only 67 runs.

    Read more – Why is the Pakistan cricket team so dramatic?

    Zimbabwe failed to put the struggling teams away, and Pakistan were there for putting away several times in that first innings. In the end, the 12 wides bowled, and the sloppiness in the field came back to cost them, and the frenetic nature of the chase when it should have been a cakewalk didn’t quite work in the end. They could only reach up to 138 runs with the fall of 7 wickets.

    Rizwan’s unbeaten 82 of 61 balls also helped him win the Player of the Match award.

    “They won the toss and used the pitch well. The wickets here are different, the pitch keeps low. But Babar and I have this plan where if one fails the other tries to go deep. It’s working for now. In Zimbabwe, the ball doesn’t quite come on to the bat, but once Hafeez fell, my aim was to get us to 150,” said Rizwan in the presentation ceremony.

    Meanwhile, Qadir’s three-fer for only 29 runs and Hasnain’s brilliant bowling spells led Pakistan to victory.

    Pakistan has defended total of under 150 thrice against ZIM and ZIM made 137, 137 and 138 this time too close.

  • Fakhar, Faheem, Nawaz hand Pakistan T20I series

    Fakhar, Faheem, Nawaz hand Pakistan T20I series

    While both teams suffered collapses in the fourth and final T20I of the Pakistan-South Africa series, South Africa’s 145 target proved insufficient in the fourth T20I with Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman and Mohammad Nawaz dragging a stumbling Pakistan to clinch a 3-1 series win.

    Pakistan pulled off back-to-back T20I series wins over South Africa, even though the team did not have their first-choice personnel at their disposal, and capped off their tour with a 3-1 win. Thanks to a strong bowling performance and despite a batting wobble, Pakistan made heavy work of chasing 145, and after coasting on 92 for 1 lost 6 for 37 to put South Africa on the brink of a series-levelling coup. Thanks to Fakhar’s much needed 60 off 34 balls and Nawaz’s sensible conclusion, scoring 25 and hitting a six to end the match.

    Not the highest quality of cricket from either of the team, but all the nerves and all the errors added up and gave us a thriller to end this series. Pakistan has been the better team, as the 3-1 scoreline shows, but still needs to do plenty of work in different departments of the team.

    Nonetheless, the tour has been hugely entertaining, and Pakistan has come out on top in both the ODI and T20I series. A big achievement from them, and some encouraging signs for South Africa as well.

    For his brilliant spell, giving only 17 runs off 4 overs and 3 wickets, Ashraf was named the Player of the Match.

    Babar Azam received Player of the series for his 210 runs, including his maiden T20I century.

    Speaking at the post-match presentation ceremony, Babar said: “We’ve really enjoyed this tour, despite the quarantine and everything. It would be even better if our fans were here, but unfortunately, that was not possible because of COVID-19, but we got a lot of support on social media.”

    “Once the set batsmen got out, a bit of pressure came onto the middle order today. We’ll sit down and talk about it, and give the players confidence so they can make up for the mistakes they’ve made.”

    Read more – Babar Azam dethrones Virat Kohli to become number one ODI batsman

    The captain added: “When we left, we left with the idea that we had to win this series and give 110%, and that’s what we did. Fakhar performed brilliantly in the ODIs, the bowlers were outstanding overall. When players perform like that, results will follow.”

    Talking about his performance, Azam said: “As for my performance, it was all about giving 100%, enjoying my cricket, and doing what the team needs.”

    Meanwhile, notable people also congratulated team Pakistan on securing the feat.