Tag: Mohammad Rizwan

  • Babar, Rizwan lead Pakistan to record-breaking victory

    Babar, Rizwan lead Pakistan to record-breaking victory

    Pakistan has completed their highest successful T20I run-chase with 12 balls to spare, beating South Africa with nine wickets.

    A feast of batting is what we watched today with Pakistan taking a 2-1 lead in the series. All credit for this goes to the opening duo: Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan.

    Pakistan had never chased down a 200-plus target before this was only their second opportunity to do so and they’ve done it with two whole overs to spare. Babar has played an absolute blinder to lead the way, and Rizwan was the perfect foil, on a day when South African bowlers struggled for control in brilliant batting conditions. Babar and Rizwan put on 197, the fourth-highest T20I partnership overall, and the highest ever in a chase.

    South Africa scored 203 runs with the loss of only 5 wickets. Earlier, the pair of Janneman Malan and Aiden Markram, with the latter’s 31-ball 63 being his third successive T20I half-century. Markram bossed the show, with South Africa speeding along to 140 inside 13 overs.

    It is pertinent to mention here that Azam got to his first T20I hundred off just 49 balls, two days after he took 50 balls to score as many runs, smashing 15 boundaries and four sixes along the way.

    Talking to Ramiz Raja in the presentation ceremony, Babar said: “I had been waiting for this for a long time, I had planned for a long time, and today Allah has given me a chance to finish it. I stick to my strengths and play according to them, and the team’s requirements.”

    The batsman further shared: “Rizwan bhai also played outstanding innings. He was fasting (for Ramzan), and yet he batted and kept wickets, and was outstanding. We get a lot of confidence and belief looking at him.”

    “I also achieved a dream in one-day cricket today (No 1 ranking). I struggled hard, there was a lot of hard work that went into it. I keep trying to learn and add new things to my game, and I will keep trying to do the same,” said Babar, adding: “I think for our first six overs, we have to give credit to Malan and Markram for playing outstanding innings, until the 10-over mark, but the way we came back in the last five overs allowed us to restrict them to around 200.”

  • Fans celebrate after Multan Sultans announce Rizwan as captain

    Mohammad Rizwan has replaced Shan Masood as the captain of Multan Sultans for the sixth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL).

    Rizwan, who is Pakistan’s Test vice-captain, was part of Karachi Kings in the last edition but was inducted in the Multan Sultans’ squad in the silver category during the players draft in January.

    He was controversially included in the playing XI for Karachi in PSL 2020 on only two occasions with Chadwick Walton preferred over him to perform the wicketkeeping duties throughout the franchise’s title-winning campaign.

    Read more – ‘Shallow-minded approach exposed,’ says Hafeez after Sarfaraz criticises him for comments on Rizwan

    Reacting to his appointment, Rizwan said: “I look forward to leading 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 year.”

    “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 to look up to,” he added.

    Rizwan recently became the second Pakistan batsman to score a century in T20 internationals when he racked up the triple-figure score in the first match against South Africa in Lahore on Thursday.

    He followed the match-winning contribution with 51 and 42 in the subsequent games to be declared player of the series as Pakistan prevailed in the T20I assignment 2-1.

    Rizwan has been in a similar blazing run of form in the longest format as he smacked his maiden Test century in the Rawalpindi encounter against South Africa. The 28-year-old was also Pakistan’s stand-in Test captain in the The Nw Zealand tour when regular skipper Babar Azam missed the series owing to a thumb fracture.

    Additionally, Rizwan boasts leadership credentials in the domestic circuit and was in charge of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as they clinched the National T20 Cup title in October 2020.

    “Mohammad Rizwan has shown exemplary leadership qualities with the Pakistan team as well as with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the domestic tournaments,” said Multan Sultans owner Alamgir Khan Tareen.

    “He is presently one of the very best in the world in his position and we are excited to have him lead our team for the upcoming season of the Pakistan Super League. We are grateful to Shan Masood for leading the franchise exceptionally well last season and for instilling a winning mentality within the team.”

    After two years of fifth-spot finishes since their entry into the PSL system, Multan topped the six-team table under Shan in the 2020 edition. However, a couple of defeats in the delayed PSL playoffs meant Multan could not reach the final.

    Meanwhile, Rizwan’s fans are celebrating his appointment on social media and lauding Multan Sultans for taking his decision.

    https://twitter.com/MaharSpeaks/status/1361288157459791873?s=20

    https://twitter.com/Shahzad29719575/status/1361251256560472067?s=19

  • ‘Shallow-minded approach exposed,’ says Hafeez after Sarfaraz criticises him

    Mohammad Hafeez has hit back Sarfaraz Ahmed after the latter criticised him for his recent statements.

    “Shallow minded approach exposed,” wrote Hafeez on Twitter. Though he did not specify who the tweet was directed towards, it is being speculated that the tweet was for Sarfaraz who had earlier called him out for spreading negativity.

    Earlier, Sarfaraz, while responding to Hafeez’s tweet, in which he had praised Mohammad Rizwan for his performance and “wondered” how long the batsman will have to prove himself, had said: “Hafeez Bhai, whoever has played for Pakistan from Imtiaz Ahmed, Wasim Bari, Tasleem Arif to Saleem Yousuf and from Moin Khan, Rashid Latif to Kamran Akmal and even Rizwan right now has always been number one for the country and have been respected accordingly.”

    Ahmed also said that everyone is behind Rizwan and hope he plays many more innings for Pakistan.

    “Aur ayende bhee jisko bhee chance milega wo Pakistan ke liye number one hee huga (And whoever is given a chance to play would be number one for Pakistan),” said Sarfaraz, adding: “We expect nothing but positiveness coming from an international player who has played so many games for Pakistan.”

    Later, replying to Sarfaraz’s tweet, Mohammad Amir who is currently feuding with the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) management said: “You are also a number one wicketkeeper-batsman in Pakistan aur aap hi captain the jab team 2 saal team No 1 rahi in T20 or sab se bar kar Champions Trophy so you are [the] pride of Pakistan (You were the Captain when the Pakistan Cricket Team was the number one T20 team).”

    Meanwhile, social media users have set the internet ablaze with supporters from both sides weighing in their arguments, opinions and comments.

    https://twitter.com/ArfaSays_/status/1360483665139097602?s=19

    https://twitter.com/BhattyHuzaima/status/1359923993097113600?s=19
    https://twitter.com/JawadMjk/status/1360441641950187520?s=19

    https://twitter.com/CricHassan/status/1360369676598063105?s=19

    https://twitter.com/ammarkhi/status/1360489901704310784?s=19

    Later, Senator Faisal Javed Khan also stepped into the conversation, saying: “Easy boys. Let’s motivate each other and be united as they say unity is strength.”

    “When there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved,” he added.

    Later in a tweet, sports journalist Aliya Rasheed tweeted that PCB officials have talked to both of them and resolve their Twitter fight.