Tag: Muhammad Rizwan

  • Rizwan, Iftikhar, Imad move up in ICC rankings

    Rizwan, Iftikhar, Imad move up in ICC rankings

    Pakistani opener Mohammad Rizwan has been rewarded for his excellent performance in the recently completed T20I series against New Zealand by gaining ground on India’s Suryakumar Yadav at the top of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s T20I Batting Rankings.

    Rizwan scored an unbeaten 98 during the fifth and final match of the T20I series against the Black Caps, ending the series as Pakistan’s leading run-scorer with a total of 162 runs.

    That helped Rizwan close the gap on Suryakumar to less than 100 rating points, with the dynamic India batsman still leading the way with 906 rating points while the Pakistani phenomenon rose from 798 to 811 points and maintains second place on the list.

    Pakistan skipper Babar Azam held onto the third spot despite the right-hander dropping 13 rating points to reach 756 points after he managed just 19 runs in the final match of the series.

    The big mover on the latest rankings for T20I batters was New Zealand dasher Mark Chapman, who moved up 45 places to a career-best 35th spot overall, following his match-winning century in that final game of the series in Rawalpindi.

    Another big mover for Pakistan was Iftikhar Ahmed, who scored 36 in the final match. He moved six places to joint-38th, his career-best position.

    One of Pakistan’s most impressive performers during that tied series was all-rounder Imad Wasim, with the experienced lefty producing enviable efforts with both bat and ball.

    Imad scored 31 in the fifth and final game of the series, but it was his eight wickets at an average of 10.37 that really stood, with the 34-yer-old rewarded on both the bowler and all-rounder rankings.

    Imad jumped inside the top 100 on the list for bowlers and also rose 44 spots to equal 24th on the latest rankings for T20I all-rounders.

  • Nation will understand the value of Babar-Rizwan after this series says Shadab Khan

    Nation will understand the value of Babar-Rizwan after this series says Shadab Khan

    Afghanistan thrashes Pakistan and leading the three match series by 2-0 by defeating Pakistan in the second T20 at Sharjah cricket ground. Rashid khan led Afghanistan cricket team exposed the young Pakistan cricket team’s weaknesses.

    Shahdab Khan the substitute captain for Afghan series while talking to media in post-match press conference says “Nation will now give more respect and honor yo our legends after this series.

    Whenever Babar Azam and Muhammad Rizwan not performing or even when they are performing the sword of strike rate is hanging on their head now when they are not with us in the team we have all seen the importance of Babar and Rizwan.”

    Shadab khan more said that nation and media was forcing to take youngster in the team who have just perform in one PSL edition and some ex-players forcing management to give rest to the senior players like Babar and Rizwan now they will know the value of our legends.

  • Muhammad Rizwan allows Indian female fan to take a ‘doorfie’ instead of selfie

    Muhammad Rizwan allows Indian female fan to take a ‘doorfie’ instead of selfie

    Muhammad Rizwan, a wicketkeeper-batsman for Pakistan, is regarded as one of cricket’s most popular players both domestically and internationally.

    In addition to the fact that he is an excellent golfer, his lovely and humble personality is what has earned him such a large fan base.

    The player has unnecessarily drawn criticism during the current Asia Cup 2022.

    A video of a female Indian cricket fan asking Rizwan to take a photo with her during a practise session has been shared by sports journalist Brashna Kasi. Rizwan reluctantly consented to take a photo with the woman but stood at a visible distance, making it clear it wasn’t a selfie and leading the fan to mockingly refer to it as a “doorfie”.

    The fan claimed in the video that Rizwan had informed her that he never poses for photos by himself with female fans.

    This, however, is nothing new since Rizwan has repeatedly stated that he feels uncomfortable with women. In actuality, the beloved cricketer has never been seen in any of his photos with a female fan.

    We must “respect his boundaries and leave him alone,” as Kasi put it.

    Rizwan explained why he never poses for photos with women in an interview with local media earlier this year.

    When asked why he is so shy around women, he replied: “It is not about being shy but some things are personal and every player has their own personal [reasons].”

    He stated that he greatly respected ladies and did not deem himself “worthy” of taking pictures with “mothers and sisters,” even if they requested one.

  • Maryam Nawaz criticises PM Khan for watching the Pak vs Ind T20 match

    Maryam Nawaz criticises PM Khan for watching the Pak vs Ind T20 match

    As the world celebrated the historic victory of the Men in Green, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) vice president Maryam Nawaz did not let go of a chance to criticise Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan for watching the Pakistan and India T20 World Cup match.

    PM Khan shared a picture on Twitter watching the match along with various other government figures and ministers, saying that the “entire nation was proud of the Pakistan team.”

    Maryam Nawaz, tweeting the photo PM Khan tweeted, wrote, “God! People in the country are dying of hunger, inflation, and incompetence, and look at them!”

    PM Khan is currently in Saudi Arabia for a three-day visit. The premier performed Umrah along with his accompanying delegation.

    The prime minister is visiting Saudi Arabia to attend the launch of the Middle East Green Initiative (MGI) Summit being held in Riyadh, at the invitation of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz.

  • Rizwan, Fawad promoted to Category A and C

    Rizwan, Fawad promoted to Category A and C

    Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Test Cricketer of the year 2020, Mohammad Rizwan, has been promoted to Category A of PCB’s Central Contract List 2020-21 following stellar performances across all formats in the ongoing season. In the elite category, the 28-year-old has now joined Pakistan captain Babar Azam, former captain Azhar Ali and star fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi.

    Since the current central contracts were announced on May 13, 2020, Rizwan is Pakistan’s leading run-scorer in Tests with 529 runs in seven matches at an average of 52.90, while he is overall the third leading run-scorer in T20Is with 325 runs at an average of 65 and strike-rate of just under 139. In the three ODIs against Zimbabwe, he scored 25 runs.

    Behind the wickets, Rizwan has accounted for 16 batsmen in Tests, three in ODIs and eight in T20Is in the season during which Pakistan played international cricket against England, Zimbabwe, New Zealand and South Africa. Their upcoming assignments are in South Africa and Zimbabwe.

    As part of its policy to acknowledge, incentivise and reward high-performing cricketers, the PCB has also elevated Fawad Alam from A+ domestic contract category to Category C of the PCB Central Contract List 2020-21, while it also offered Category C contract to T20I specialist Mohammad Hafeez, which he politely turned down.

    Fawad Alam scored centuries against New Zealand and South Africa and has now aggregated 320 runs in 11 innings of six Tests. His 102 against New Zealand in the Boxing Day Test earned him the PCB Individual Performance of 2020 award.

    PCB Chief Executive Wasim Khan while talking about the promotions said: “I want to congratulate Rizwan and Fawad for earning well-deserved and well-earned promotions. This is a reward for their hard work and high-quality performances during the difficult and challenging bio-secure environments that tested their determination, resolve, commitment, mental toughness and physical fitness to the limits.

    “The decision to promote the players was made during a meeting with the Chair of the Selection Committee, Muhammad Wasim, while we were reviewing player performances in the 2020-21 season and discussing the upcoming commitments.

    “It was agreed during the meeting that three players were the most deserving and outstanding performers in the season to date and, as such, they needed to be rewarded now instead of waiting for the time when PCB Central Contract List for 2021-22 will be reviewed and announced.

    “However, Mohammad Hafeez declined the reward and while I am disappointed, I fully respect his decision. He wants to wait for the PCB Central Contract 2021-22 list, which he is fully entitled to. Hafeez has been one of our star performers of the season and we hope he will carry the form and momentum to Africa.

    “I am sure this merit and performance-based decision will once again send out a loud and clear message to all professional cricketers that the PCB will not only recognise, appreciate and acknowledge their performances and achievements, but will also reward them so that they can strive to do better next time.”

    Taking to Twitter, Alam expressed his happiness over the promotion, writing: “Alhamdulillah! Can’t thank Allah enough for always being in my favour and granting me successes. Hard work pays off indeed. Thank you PCB for elevating me to category C of the PCB’s Central Contract list 2020-21.”

    Read more – Fahad Mustafa says ignoring Fawad Alam for a decade was ‘a failure of our system’

    Similarly, Rizwan also expressed his “relief” over the promotion on social media.

    Updated PCB Men’s Central Contract List for 2020-21:

    Category A: Azhar Ali (Central Punjab), Babar Azam (Central Punjab), Mohammad Rizwan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) and Shaheen Shah Afridi (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa)

    Category B: Abid Ali (Central Punjab), Asad Shafiq (Sindh), Haris Sohail (Balochistan), Mohammad Abbas (Southern Punjab), Sarfaraz Ahmed (Sindh), Shadab Khan (Northern), Shan Masood (Southern Punjab) and Yasir Shah (Balochistan)

    Category C: Fakhar Zaman (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Fawad Alam (Sindh), Iftikhar Ahmed (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), Imad Wasim (Northern), Imam-ul-Haq (Balochistan), Naseem Shah (Central Punjab) and Usman Shinwari (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa)

    Emerging Players’ Category: Haider Ali (Northern), Haris Rauf (Northern) and Mohammad Hasnain (Sindh)

  • Hassan Ali seals the deal for Pakistan

    Hassan Ali seals the deal for Pakistan

    With two five–fors, Hassan Ali has sealed the deal for Pakistan, beating South Africa by 95 runs in second Test and won the series 2-0.

    The first series as captain for Babar Azam in Test cricket starts with a win – credit to hundred from Muhammad Rizwan and 10 wicket haul by Hasan Ali made the difference in the Test match.

    Babar has also been added to the list of Pakistani captains who won their debut Test series.

    Read more – Babar Azam opens up on his journey from ‘ball-picker’ to Test captain

    Pakistan won its first series against Proteas since 2003 by 2-0 with a 95-run victory in the second Test on the fifth and final day.

    Set 370-run to win, the Proteas were bowled out for 274 with Pakistan medium pacer Hasan Ali taking 5-60 — his best match figures of 10-114.

    Opener Aiden Markram scored a fighting 108 and Temba Bavuma 61.

    They put on a 106-run stand for the fourth wicket but Hasan struck with the second new ball to end Markra’s resistance.

    The 2-0 win is only Pakistan’s second over South Africa in 12 Test series, having lost eight and drawn three. Pakistan won the first Test by seven wickets in Karachi. Pakistan’s only previous series win over South Africa was in a two-match series at home in 2003.

    The series against South Africa – who were touring Pakistan for the first time in 14 years – is the biggest hosted by the home side since a deadly 2009 militant attack on Sri Lanka’s squad in Lahore halted international tours.

    With the brilliant 10-for, Hassan Ali became man of the match. While with his maiden Test match ton, Rizwan was declared man of the series.

    Meanwhile, the Pakistan cricket team regained its place among top 5 Test teams of the world with a 2-0 series win against South Africa.

    Pakistan earned 8 rating points after beating Proteas in Karachi and Rawalpindi to jump to 5th position in the ICC Test Team Rankings.

    The hosts were at the 7th position in the charts before the start of series while South Africa was at 5th. With the help of star performers – Rizwan, Hassan, Faheem Ashraf and Shaheen Shah Afridi, Pakistan has gained this position.

    The two teams will now play three Twenty20 internationals on February 11, 13 and 14, all in Lahore.

    Following Pakistan’s win several celebrities, politicians and congratulated the team for the effort.

  • First day of PAK vs SA ends in distress despite ‘Super Rizwan’

    First day of PAK vs SA ends in distress despite ‘Super Rizwan’

    The Pakistan vs South Africa series kickstarted on Tuesday with a Test match at the National Stadium Karachi. While the day began with cricket aficionados witnessing some great wicketkeeping by ‘Super Rizwan’, it ended with four out after making just 33 runs. SA, on the other hand, had a score of 220-10.

    Muhammad Rizwan’s exceptional wicketkeeping abilities left everyone in awe during the first session of the first test between Pakistan and South Africa. Middle-order batsman Van der Dussen was run out by a quick throw from Babar Azam and excellent work with the gloves from Rizwan.

    With an excellent speed, Rizwan broke the wickets in seconds. The skipper’s throw in the right direction helped Rizwan run out the South African Middle-order batsman at 17 runs.

    This Test series is very important for Pakistan Cricket as the green shirts have faced a humiliating defeat in New Zealand.

    Pakistan’s 11 initially appeared strong with its two debutants, Nauman Ali and Imran Butt, but opener Imran, couldn’t do anything promising with the bat. Earlier in the day, Younis Khan and Yasir Shah had presented both Ali and Butt their first Test cap.

    The visiting team opted for batting after winning the toss. They had a strong start but lost Markram early after which they could not construct a lasting partnership. The highest individual score from a South Africa batsman came from the blade of Dean Elgar, who scored a well-made 58. The visitors could only post a total of 220.

    For Pakistan, with the ball, the spinners rose to the occasion. Yasir Shah was the highlight, with 3 wickets to his name, while debutant Nauman Ali snared two. The pacers had 3 wickets to their names. And then, Pakistan stepped out to bat, in their first innings. It was a horror start with the bat though, as they lost Abid Ali early and saw further collapses, including the skipper at 7.

    In the end, they closed out Day 1, at 33 for 4, and probably have to thank the sun for setting down, rather than any of their batsmen. However, if one exception were to be made, one can say that Azhar Ali is gritting it out there – he is the man the visiting team would hope to snare as they resume play on Day 2.

    Pakistan will need 187 runs to opt for a lead tomorrow with six wickets in hand.

  • Fawad Alam hits 2nd Test 100 in lost NZ match

    Fawad Alam hits 2nd Test 100 in lost NZ match

    Fawad Alam’s heroic ton went in vain as the home team won the first Test by 101 runs in Tauranga’s Mount Maunganui stadium on Wednesday.

    Eleven years, five months and 16 days on from that other lifetime when he scored his first Test hundred, Fawad pulled Wagner behind square – that shot had served him well both in defence and attack – past a diving deep fielder to bring up a second Test hundred.

    The last one he scored was way back in 2009 when he hit 168 on Test debut against Sri Lanka while opening the innings. Since then Alam has played just six Tests having made a comeback in 2020.

    Babar Azam’s injury gave him another go and yet he proved to be an ace for the team.

    The Green Caps began the final day’s play at 71-3 in chase of 373-run target with Azhar Ali and Fawad batting at 34 and 21 respectively.

    He put on a 165-run partnership with captain Mohammad Rizwan who scored a gritty half-century as well. 380 balls faced by Alam and Rizwan during their partnership – the second-longest stand for Pakistan in Tests.

    The wicketkeeper-batsman’s dismissal sparked a collapse as he was trapped leg-before by Kyle Jamieson for 60 while Fawad, who hit 14 boundaries in his 102-run knock, was caught behind on the bowling of Neil Wagner.

    The tail-end pair of pacemen Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah provided resistance to salvage a draw but it wasn’t to be as the latter was caught and bowled by Santner for one with just four more overs to go.

    Here are some reactions by cricketing experts on Fawad’s resilient innings:

    https://twitter.com/DennisCricket_/status/1344128439100481536?s=08

    Later PCB released a video in this fawad talked about his patience and test performance…

    What do you think of Fawad’s innings? Let The Current know in the comments