Tag: Mohammad Rizwan

MELBOURNE: Pakistan Cricket Team Director Mohammad Hafeez revealed his conversation with wicketkeeper batter Mohammad Rizwan, following the latter’s debated dismissal in the second Test against Australia.

Australian captain Pat Cummins bowled a sharp-rising delivery to Mohammad Rizwan, followed by an appeal for a caught behind.

The on-field umpire turned down Australia’s appeal but their captain Cummins opted to challenge the decision as he believed that Mohammad Rizwan may have gloved the ball.

TV Umpire Richard Illingworth thoroughly analyzed the appeal from different camera angles and was later convinced by the spike that appeared when the ball passed by Rizwan’s wristband and asked the on-field umpire to revert his decision.

The HotSpot showed no mark of contact as Rizwan looked away from the ball at the last second.

Mohammad Rizwan, however, appeared confident that he did not glove the ball and expressed his frustration with the TV Umpire’s decision before walking back to the pavilion in disappointment.

Wicket 250 for Pat Cummins! 🎉

The third umpire decided the ball flicked Mohammad Rizwan's sweatband on the way through. #MilestoneMoment | @nrmainsurance | #AUSvPAK pic.twitter.com/vTuDL5DmNB

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 29, 2023

 

Pakistan’s hopes of pulling off a record victory were all lying on Rizwan’s shoulder, who was unbeaten on 35 with the touring side needing a further 98 runs.

Meanwhile, Pakistan team’s Director Mohammad Hafeez at the post-match conference brought his conversation with Mohammad Rizwan to the limelight and echoed the latter’s stance.

“I spoke to Rizwan, and I believe he is a very honest person. He told me that the ball did not touch anywhere near the gloves, and there should be conclusive evidence to overturn the decision of the on-field umpire,” stated Hafeez.

“Based on what I know, the umpire gave it not out, and there was no conclusive evidence for the decision to be overturned. I don’t know what more to say. In this instance, the technology turned out to be a curse rather than something helpful,” he added.

It is worth mentioning here that Rizwan’s dismissal sparked a match-defining collapse as Pakistan slipped from 219/5 to 237 all out and thus lost the match by 70 runs against Australia, who now lead the three-match series 2-0.

READ: Shan Masood opens up about positives amid Boxing Day Test loss

MELBOURNE: Wicketkeeper batter Mohammad Rizwan replaced his counterpart Sarfaraz Ahmed in Pakistan’s 12-member squad for the second Test against Australia.

Taking to Twitter, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) unveiled the 12-member squad which will form their Playing XI for the must-win Boxing Day Test.

Wicketkeeper batter Sarfaraz Ahmed, who offered a forgetful performance in the Perth Test, was left out of the squad with Mohammad Rizwan coming in as his replacement.

Notably, Sarfaraz only managed to score seven runs in the first Test and fell victim to left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc in each of the innings.

The 36-year-old also missed a number of chances behind the stumps which drew massive criticism from the fans.

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Sarfaraz Ahmed also failed to prove his batting prowess in the two-day practice match against Victoria XI where he managed the scores of 35 and 10.

Mohammad Rizwan, however, strengthened his selection case by scoring a half-century in the practice match.

Besides this, fast-bowling all-rounder Faheem Ashraf also failed to retain his spot in Pakistan’s Playing XI, whereas, pacers Mir Hamza and Hasan Ali were named in the 12-member squad.

Pakistan squad for second Test

Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Shan Masood (c), Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Afridi (vc), Hasan Ali, Mir Hamza, Aamir Jamal, Sajid Khan.

It is pertinent to mention here that Pakistan are facing an injury dilemma amid their tough tour to Australia as two of their three injured bowlers – Noman Ali and Khurram Shahzad – have been ruled out of the series.

Their emerging mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed, however, is on the road to recovery but the PCB, on Saturday, shared that the 25-year-old was not ready for selection for the second Test.

READ: Mitchell Starc surprised over the lack of pace by Pakistan bowlers

LAHORE: Newly appointed Test captain of Pakistan cricket team Shan Masood has shown faith in former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed as the first-choice wicketkeeper during the Australian tour.

Shan Masood, who replaced Babar Azam as Test captain, acknowledged Sarfaraz Ahmed’s performance in recent Test matches for Pakistan while talking to the media ahead of the team’s departure for Australia.

“Sarfaraz was player of the series in the last home series against New Zealand. He also performed well in Sri Lanka and secured his spot in the team. He is the settled wicketkeeper in this team,” Shan said.

However, he also shed light on the importance of wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan as a better and did not rule out the possibility of playing him solely as a batter.

“We might require Rizwan as a batsman. His track record is fantastic in Australia. He was one of the top scorers when we last toured Australia for Test matches,” Shan Masood added.

“We might encounter a situation where we might have to drop a spinner and play an extra batter, so Rizwan can come into the fore then,” he concluded.

Pakistan is scheduled to play a three-match Test series against Australia commencing from 14 December 2023 to 7 January 2024.

The team will depart from Lahore on 30 November and will kick off the Test series with the first Test in Perth from 14-18 December 2023.

Pakistan squad for the tour of Australia

Shan Masood (c), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Saud Shakeel and Shaheen Shah Afridi

READ: Rahul Dravid to continue as head coach of India

AHMEDABAD: India’s all-rounder Hardik Pandya commented on Pakistan’s dismal performance with the bat against arch-rivals India on Saturday, asserting that Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan were timid amid their partnership.

Pakistan, at one stage, were looking in a strong position to amass the 300-run mark. The tide changed when skipper Babar Azam was dismissed for 50 by India pacer Mohammed Siraj.

It sparked a collapse and the side were dismissed for just 191.

Hardik Pandya said he knew India was in the game as Pakistan captain Babar Azam and wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan settled the side with a timid batting approach.

“Babar [Azam] and [Mohammad] Rizwan were timid,” Hardik Pandya said. “They didn’t take any chances, which is why we thought we were always in the game. There wasn’t much in the pitch for the bowlers. They didn’t try going for shots or attack us, which is why we were able to bowl dot balls.

“I have seen that if two players bat in the same way, if one gets out, then it opens up a lot of doors.”

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Set to chase a modest 192, India comfortably knocked off the winning runs for the loss of just three wickets and 117 balls to spare.

Indian captain Rohit Sharma gave his side a flying start despite his opening partner Shubman Gill (16) perished cheaply in the third over with just 26 runs on the board.

Rohit then put together a one-sided 56-run partnership with Virat Kohli, who could score a mere 16 before falling victim to Hasan Ali in the 10th over.

Meanwhile, Kohli’s dismissal did not hurt India much as Rohit continued his onslaught and took India past the 150-run mark in 21 overs.

He, however, remained unlucky to not be able to convert his dominant knock into his eighth World Cup ton as he finally fell in the 22nd over.

Rohit Sharma top-scored for India with a brisk 63-ball 86 which featured six boundaries and as many sixes.

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Shreyas Iyer took the reigns of India’s pursuit after Rohit’s dismissal and knitted a match-winning 36-run partnership with KL Rahul, who scored 19 not out.

Iyer remained a notable contributor in India’s pursuit with an unbeaten half-century. His 62-ball 53 featured three boundaries and two sixes.

For Pakistan, Shaheen Shah Afridi bagged two wickets while Hasan Ali made one scalp.

READ: Gurbaz, Ikram power Afghanistan to 284 against holders England

HYDERABAD: Wicketkeeper batter Mohammad Rizwan dedicated his match-winning century against Sri Lanka in the eighth match of the ICC World Cup 2023 to oppressed Palestinians.

Pakistan, on Tuesday, rewrote history when they pulled off the highest run chase in a World Cup game to beat Sri Lanka by four wickets.

Young opening batter Abdullah Shafique and Mohammad Rizwan played pivotal roles in Pakistan’s historic victory, both scoring a century each.

Chasing a daunting total of 345 after Kusal Mendis and Sadeera Samarawickrama smashed tons to put Sri Lanka in a commanding position, the green shirts got over the line in 48.2 overs thanks to Rizwan’s unbeaten 131 and Abdullah’s 113.

Ireland had held the previous record for the highest run chase in World Cups with 329 against England in the 2011 edition.

Taking to X, formerly Twitter, the wicketkeeper batter dedicated his match-winning performance to oppressed Palestinians.

“This was for our brothers and sisters in Gaza. Happy to contribute in the win. Credits to the whole team and especially Abdullah Shafique and Hassan Ali for making it easier,” Mohammad Rizwan wrote on X.

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He also expressed his gratitude to the people of Hyderabad for their tremendous support and warm hospitality.

For the unversed, Pakistan next face arch-rivals India in their next ICC World Cup 2023 fixture on October 14 in Ahmedabad.

For the highly-anticipated clash, the Pakistan squad landed in Ahmedabad through a chartered plane from Hyderabad earlier today.

The Pakistan team will rest today before hitting the nets tomorrow for the two-day training session ahead of the India game.

According to the details, Pakistan’s World Cup-bound contingent will engage in a rigorous practice session from 6 PM to 9 PM local time on Thursday (tomorrow).

They will continue their training on Friday from 2 PM to 5 PM and will partake in several batting, bowling and fielding drills to boast their preparations for the most anticipated clash of the ICC World Cup 2023.

Pakistan squad for ICC World Cup 2023

Babar Azam (c), Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, M Wasim Jnr, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Saud Shakeel, Salman Ali Agha.

Travelling reserves: Mohammad Haris, Abrar Ahmed, Zaman Khan

Pakistan’s remaining ICC World Cup 2023 fixtures

• October 14 – vs India in Ahmedabad
• October 20 – vs Australia in Bengaluru
• October 23 – vs Afghanistan in Chennai
• October 27 – vs South Africa in Chennai
• October 31 – vs Bangladesh in Kolkata
• November 4 – vs New Zealand Bengaluru (Day match)
• November 11 – vs England in Kolkata

The day matches will start at 10:00 am Pakistan Standard Time (PST) while all other matches will be day-night fixtures, starting at 01:30 pm (PST).

READ: Zaka Ashraf to travel to India tomorrow for ICC World Cup 2023

Pakistan wicketkeeper batter Mohammad Rizwan has withdrawn himself from the Big Bash League (BBL) 2023/24 draft.

According to the cricket news website ESPNCricinfo, Mohammad Rizwan was placed in the Platinum category.

Mohammad Rizwan’s availability for the tournament was in jeopardy because of his national commitments. He is most likely to be a part of the Pakistan squad, which will tour Australia for a three-match Test series.

The 31-year-old was nominated by three-time BBL winners Sydney Sixers. However, he has not played a match in the tournament.

The right-hand batter has played 238 fixtures in his Twenty20 career for domestic and international franchise cricketing tournaments.

He has represented Karachi Kings in the Pakistan Super League, Comilla Victorians in the Bangladesh Premier League and Vancouver Knights in Global T20 Canada.

He has scored 6,945 runs with 59 half-centuries and two hundreds to his name.

Mohammad Rizwan is currently part of the national squad contesting the ongoing Asia Cup 2023.

He played an anchoring 44-run knock in 50 deliveries with the help of six boundaries.

Mohammad Rizwan also put together a crucial 86-run stand with Pakistan captain Babar Azam, who played a marathon 151-run knock in just 131 deliveries, hitting 14 boundaries and four sixes.

Later, Pakistan bowlers decimated Nepal’s batting lineup and booked them for a meagre 104 to steer the hosts to a statement 238-run victory to kick start their Asia Cup 2023 campaign.

Shadab Khan led the bowling attack for Pakistan with 4/27, followed by two wickets each by Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf while Naseem Shah and Mohammad Nawaz made one scalp each.

Meanwhile, wicketkeeper batter Mohammad Rizwan took one catch behind the wickets.

Pakistan will now take on arch-rivals India on September 2 in a bid to become the first team to secure their berth in the Asia Cup 2023 Super 4s.

READ: Rohit Sharma wary of Pakistan’s pace trio ahead of Asia Cup 2023 clash

BRAMPTON: Ruben Trumpelmann returned astounding figures of 3/8 to decimate Montreal Tigers’ batting lineup before Mohammad Rizwan’s calculated half-century drove Vancouver Knights to a nine-wicket victory in GT20 Canada.

Opting to bat first, Montreal Tigers’ batting lineup failed completely and could only raise 99 runs on the board before being bundled out in the penultimate over.

The table-toppers after a poor start, kept losing wickets at an alarming rate before the Knights bowlers eventually booked them on a meagre total.

Opening batter Muhammad Waseem (28 off 24) and Dipendra Singh Airee (24) offered brief resistance against a dominant Tigers’ bowling attack.

The next best scores for the Tigers were Dilpreet Singh (14) and Andre Russell (12) while the rest failed to make it into the double figures.

Ruben Trumpelmann led the bowling attack for the Knights with 3/8, followed by Junaid Siddique’s 3/27 while Corbin Bosch had two wickets to his name.

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In response, Mohammad Rizwan spearheaded an easy pursuit with a sensible half-century.

The Knights, however, had a contrasting start to the run chase as they lost hard-hitting opener Fakhar Zaman (4) in the third over with just 21 runs on the board.

Bosch partnered strongly with in-form Rizwan and steered the Knights to victory with an unbeaten 82-run partnership.

The wicketkeeper batter scored his second consecutive half-century for the Knights, who chased down a modest 100-run target in the 15th over.

Rizwan smashed 10 boundaries and a six on his way to a 54-ball 68 not out.

Bosch, on the other hand, scored an unbeaten 28 off 29 deliveries, laced with three boundaries.

With a dominant nine-wicket victory over the leaders, Vancouver Knights rose to the fourth position in GT20 Canada standings while Montreal Tigers remained at the top.

READ: Tim Seifert goes berserk at B-Love Kandy as Galle Titans prevail

Mohammad Rizwan replaced Sarfaraz Ahmed as the concussion substitute on Day 3 of the ongoing second Test against Sri Lanka, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) confirmed.

“Sarfaraz Ahmed has been replaced by Mohammad Rizwan as a concussion substitute in the ongoing second Test between Pakistan and Sri Lanka,” said PCB in a statement.

“Match referee David Boon accepted the Pakistan team management’s request for the substitution,” it added.

Notably, Sarfaraz was hit on his head while ducking a bouncer by Asitha Fernando in the afternoon session on day three.

The incident occurred in the 81st over of Pakistan’s first innings when Sarfaraz Ahmed came out to bat at number six after Saud Shakeel’s dismissal.

Asitha Fernando welcomed the wicketkeeper batter with a short-pitched delivery but the ball deflected down to the fine leg boundary off the helmet.

However, Sarfaraz Ahmed continued to bat on his way to a 22-ball 14 before he was taken off the field after 86 overs.

According to the PCB, he will remain under observation of the cricket board’s medical panel.

When this story was filed Pakistan were 512/5 in the 123rd over and had gathered a mammoth lead of 346 runs.

Salman Ali Agha (103) and Mohammad Rizwan (20) were unbeaten at the crease as Pakistan looked to add a little more to their massive advantage before potentially declaring their first innings in the closing minutes of the ongoing third day.

Abdullah Shafique led the way for Pakistan’s batting charge with a sensational double-century and put his side in complete command Prabath Jayasuriya finally got rid of him.

He top-scored for Pakistan with 201 from 326 deliveries, hitting 19 boundaries and four sixes.

READ: Babar Azam slips but Saud Shakeel makes big leap in ICC Test Rankings

KARACHI: Rashid Latif termed Mohammad Rizwan’s appointment as Pakistan’s vice-captain “not justifiable” and instead backed Sarfaraz Ahmed for the role for the two-match away Test series against Sri Lanka.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Saturday, named a strong 16-member squad for the two-match series against Sri Lanka which saw the return of ace pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi to Test after a one-year hiatus.

The squad also featured young batter Mohammad Huraira and all-rounder Aamer Jamal, who impressed the selectors with brilliant performances in the domestic circuit and Pakistan Shaheens’ tour of Zimbabwe.

Commenting on the recently-announced squad, Rashid Latif expressed displeasure on the appointment of Mohammad Rizwan as the vice-captain and asserted that Sarfaraz Ahmed would be a much more liable candidate for the role.

“Sarfaraz is the kind of player they [PCB] could have named the vice-captain on this tour. He is capable. He made a comeback after Rizwan’s drop in form. Sarfaraz will be part of the playing XI due to his previous performance, so retaining Rizwan as vice-captain is not justifiable,” said Rashid Latif said on the YouTube channel Caught Behind.

“I think Babar should be captain in all formats. However, don’t give anyone undue favour. If there is anyone else deserving of a leadership role in Tests, then that person is Sarfaraz and no one else,” he added.

Notably, a dip in Mohammad Rizwan’s form in Tests paved the way for Sarfaraz Ahmed to make his return to the national side after a gap of almost three years.

The former Pakistan captain grasped the opportunity with both hands as he scored three back-to-back fifties before smashing a gritty fourth-inning century in the second Test against New Zealand.

Sarfaraz Ahmed’s fighting knock lifted Pakistan to secure a draw against New Zealand and also from facing another home series defeat. He was named the player of the series for his sensational run with the bat.

READ: Spain snatch Nations League glory on penalties against Croatia 

Pakistan all-format captain Babar Azam and wicketkeeper batter Mohammad Rizwan took the internet by storm as a picture of them studying has been making rounds on social media and received immense appreciation from their fans.

Taking to Twitter, Babar Azam shared a picture of him and Mohammad Rizwan deeply engulfed in studying as the duo prepare for their classes at the Harvard Business School.

In the picture, Babar can be seen lying on the couch in a rather bizarre posture, fully focused on a piece of paper, presumably the handouts, while Mohammad Rizwan was sitting on the floor with papers scattered in front of him.

Ye kya ho raha hai? 🤫🤔🫣 pic.twitter.com/Lxob4hJALk

— Babar Azam (@babarazam258) May 30, 2023

Notably, Babar Azam and teammate Mohammad Rizwan will become the first cricketers to join the prestigious Harvard Business School’s executive education program.

The star Pakistani duo will join the long list of top-tier sportspersons, who have pursued the course previously. The list includes footballers such as Kaka, Edwin van der Sar, Gerard Pique, Oliver Kahn; NBA stars like Dirk Nowitzki, Chris Paul and Paul Gasol.

According to the details, Babar and Rizwan are enrolled in the executive education program on The Business of Entertainment, Media, and Sports (BEMS) which will run from May 31 to June 3 at the Harvard Business School in Boston, Massachusetts.

The two cricketers will also engage with the various communities in the US after the program till June 13.

Pakistan skipper Babar Azam said his inspiration for joining the world-class program at Harvard was to connect, explore, listen, learn, grow, and give back to the community worldwide.

“I am sure there are scores of things to learn from the amazing athletes and top business executives from the entertainment, media, and sports industries who are coming from corners of the world,” said the No.1-ranked ODI batter.

Similarly, wicket-keeper batter Rizwan also expressed his delight on getting such a great learning opportunity.

“It is a huge honor to represent Pakistan on such a prestigious global stage. We are going to the BEMS program at Harvard to learn from the best of the best in the world – both in terms of faculty and program fellows – and at the same time to share our journey and learnings with everyone.” he said.

I am certain that this will be an exciting journey, and I look forward to sharing our learning and experiences with the next superstars of the cricket world,” Rizwan added.