Tag: Mohammad Rizwan

Pakistan captain 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.

Talha Rehmani, the founder and CEO of sports talent management company Saya Corporation, will also be part of the programme along with the two esteemed cricketers.

The programme will be chaired by Professor Anita Elberse, one of the youngest women ever to earn tenure at Harvard Business School.

“I am delighted to be able to welcome Babar Azam and Muhammad Rizwan to the Harvard Business School and to the BEMS program,” said Elberse. “We think the other participants will benefit greatly from their experiences as world-class athletes with a strong interest in the business world.”

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KARACHI: Pakistan wicket-keeper batter Mohammad Rizwan revealed that he was not happy batting at number five in ODIs while expressing his desire to get a promotion in the batting order.

Speaking in a media talk ahead of the third PAK vs NZ ODI, Rizwan claimed he was not satisfied with his current batting position in the 50-Over format, adding, ‘despite his wish to bat at no.4 he never complained about it with the captain or coach.”

“Frankly speaking, I am not happy with the fifth number because I want to play at no.4,” he told reporters on Monday.

“But it is not necessary that I get what I wish for. Captain and the coach do what they believe is suitable for the team.”

He, however, negated the impression he was pushing to get the desired batting position, adding, he has never complained or cried foul about it.

“My personal wishes do not matter. It happens many times that a player has his own aspirations but the captain and coach think otherwise because they have their own mindset.”

The wicket-keeper batter without naming anyone also disclosed that he was even asked to open for Pakistan by the previous management.

“I won’t take their names but I was even asked to open in ODIs by the people in previous tenures. They asked me to be prepared for any change even for the opening slot. I replied that would be your call.” he concluded.

Mohammad Rizwan, who bats as an opener alongside skipper Babar Azam in T20Is for Pakistan, in the longer white-ball format came down the batting order sometimes even at no.6.

It must be noted here that Pakistan are currently engaged in five-game ODI series against the Blackcaps. The Men in Green lead the series 2-0 following back-to-back wins in first two matches in Rawalpindi.

The two sides will now take on each other in the third fixture at the National Bank Cricket Arena as the action shifts to Karachi, which will host the remaining three ODIs on May 3, 5 and 7.

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RAWALPINDI: Wicketkeeper batter Mohammad Rizwan carried on his exceptional form to amass a unique milestone in T20 cricket amid the fifth PAK vs NZ T20I here at Pindi Cricket Stadium on Monday.

Mohammad Rizwan, who spearheaded Pakistan to a commendable total of 193/5 with a sensational 98-run unbeaten knock, became the first batter to complete a thousand runs in T20 cricket in the ongoing year.

Notably, Rizwan scored thousand runs in a calendar year for the third consecutive time. He scored 1817 runs in 2022 and a record 2036 runs in 2021.

Besides representing Pakistan on the international stage, Rizwan also enjoyed successful runs in franchise cricket; representing Multan Sultans and Comilla Victorians.

It must be noted here that Rizwan’s momentous 98-run knock, however, went in vain as Mark Chapman‘s scintillating century knock trumped his efforts and steered New Zealand to a stunning series-levelling victory over Pakistan.

Chapman, alongside James Neesham, lifted New Zealand from 73/4 to a comprehensive six-wicket victory over the home side.

Chapman top-scored for New Zealand with a 57-ball 104, which featured 11 boundaries and four sixes. Neesham, on the other hand, also played a pivotal role with an unbeaten 45 off 25 deliveries.

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DUBAI: Pakistan all-format captain Babar Azam has improved his standing on the T20I batters’ list after the latest ICC rankings update on Wednesday.

Babar jumped a spot to third on the charts after New Zealand Devon Conway’s absence from New Zealand’s series against Sri Lanka led to a slump in his rankings.

Kiwi batter dropped two places to fifth on the latest set of rankings with South Africa’s Aiden Markram taking fourth place.

No.1-ranked Suryakumar Yadav and second-placed Mohammad Rizwan, however, retained their positions on the table.

Babar and his opening partner in the shortest format, Rizwan, have an opportunity to close in on the Indian star as the duo will be in action when Pakistan commence their five-matches home T20I series against New Zealand on Saturday.

“While Suryakumar currently holds a commanding lead at the top of the T20I rankings for batters with 906 rating points, second-placed Rizwan (811) and third-placed Babar (755) could make gains while the India star is plying his trade in the IPL,” said ICC in a media release.

Meanwhile, on the bowler rankings, Maheesh Theekshana moved up to fifth on the list while his teammate Wanindu Hasaranga dropped two places to fourth. thanks to their contrasting performances in the recent T20I series against hosts New Zealand.

As a result of Hasaranga’s ranking dip, Afghanistan pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi (second) and Australia seamer Josh Hazlewood (third) both climbed a spot.

it is worth mentioning here that Afghanistan now hold the top two spots on the T20I bowlers’ charts as spinner Rashid Khan leads Fazal Haq Farooqi in a close contest for top billing.

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SHARJAH: Shadab Khan believed that Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan would get a greater amount of respect from the nation and the media after the ongoing series against Afghanistan, which saw the new-look team suffering a dismal 2-0 defeat.

Pakistan T20I captain for the three T20Is against Afghanistan, Shadab, requested the people of the country to support the youngsters, saying, “we must accept one’s failures so that he can turn into a world-class player.”

“We are aware of the talent in each of these players. Nervousness is always there, every time you wear a Pakistan star. This was seen today as well,” he said in a post-match press conference on Sunday after Pakistan lost the second T20I and the first bilateral series against Afghanistan.

Shadab said conditions were totally different in Sharjah, adding, “Any team facing Afghanistan in these conditions, would have met the same fate.”

He added the motive behind sending the young team for the assignment was to prepare the bench strength.

“I am hopeful that the players will make a comeback in the next match but even if they don’t, I will keep supporting these youngsters” he expressed.

When asked whether it was the right choice to send a young team for the series without experience and key players, he replied we all used to hurl criticism at our own players, hinting at media representatives in the room.

“When Babar and Rizwan were not performing or even when they performed a sword hung over their heads in the shape of strike rates,” he said

“As a nation, we were demanding to bring these youngsters in international cricket because they had performed in the PSL and wanted them to play at a high strike rate”

“I’m all up for experiments but we all might realize how much the experience matters”

“I think they (Babar and Rizwan) were not getting the respect they deserved but after this series, they will get much more respect, from the media as well as from the nation” he believed.

It may be noted here that Afghanistan sealed a seven-wicket win over Pakistan in the second T20I to claim the series 2-0.

Set to chase 131, Afghanistan accumulated 133/3 with a ball to spare, thanks to Gurbaz’s 44. The final T20I will be played today.

READ: Gurbaz stars as Afghanistan edge Pakistan to wrap up series win 

LAHORE: Mohammad Rizwan and Haris Rauf have received their commemorative caps for the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) T20I Team of the Year. 

The two players were named in the ICC T20I Team of the Year for 2022 in January.

Taking to Twitter, Pakistan Cricket Board on Sunday shared pictures of Rizwan and Haris, holding the ICC caps.

⭐⭐ @HarisRauf14 and @iMRizwanPak received the @ICC T20I team of the year caps 🧢🧢 pic.twitter.com/5URXBvOdIv

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) March 5, 2023

The ICC Team of the Year recognises 11 outstanding individuals who have impressed one and all – be it with the bat, the ball or their all-around exploits in a calendar year.

Rizwan smashed 10 half-centuries last year in the shortest format and finished as the joint-highest scorer for Pakistan at the T20 World Cup with 175 runs.

He gathered a staggering 996 runs in 2022 and held on to the opening slot alongside England’s Jos Buttler in the ICC T20I Team of the Year for the second year in a row.

Meanwhile, Haris Rauf, who earned the repute of ‘death overs specialist’ for his match-winning contributions for T20 World Cup runner-ups Pakistan during the previous year, took 31 wickets in 2022 – most by any Pakistani bowler.

The right-arm pacer impressed everybody with his raw pace and often left batters clueless. In the absence of Shaheen Afridi during the latter half of the year, Pakistan relied heavily on Rauf to lead the bowling attack.

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MULTAN: James Vince’s blistering 75 and skipper Imad Wasim’s crucial 46-run knock went in vain as Multan Sultans held their nerves calm to edge Karachi Kings by three runs in the high-scoring Pakistan Super League (PSL) eight thriller on Wednesday.

Set to chase 197, the Kings fell just three runs short as the side could finish at 194/5 despite a heroic knock by their captain Imad.

Earlier, the Kings openers gave their side a flying start as they added brisk 72 runs in just six overs with Vince leading the charge as he struck the fastest half-century of the ongoing edition in just 20 deliveries.

Usama Mir then broke the shackles for the Sultans soon after the powerplay as he dismissed Matthew Wade on the first delivery of his spell to script his side’s comeback in the run chase. Wade could score 20 off 14 deliveries.

Meanwhile, Vince carried on to charge on the Sultans’ bowlers amid his 33-run partnership with Haider Ali before a mixup between the wickets brought curtains on his great knock. The right-handed batter top-scored for the Kings with a 34-ball 75 that featured seven boundaries and six sixes.

The Kings then endured another setback in the run chase when Khushdil Shah removed Haider in the 12th over and the visitors consequently slipped to 113/3.

Following the slump, veteran batter Shoaib Malik and skipper Imad attempted to anchor the run chase as the pair added 35 runs for the fourth wicket before the latter fell in the 17th over after scoring 13 off 19.

Skipper Imad, however, kept the game alive with belligerent hitting as he took Mohammad Ilyas to the cleaners in the 19th over but Abbas Afridi held his composure in the tense final over and successfully defended 22 runs to steer his side to glory.

Imad remained unbeaten with a brisk 47-run knock in just 26 balls, laced with five sixes.

Abbas led the bowling attack for the Sultans with 2/55 while Usama and Khushdil could pick up a wicket.

Put into bat first by the Kings, the Sultans piled up a mammoth 196/1 in their set of 20 overs with their skipper Mohammad Rizwan leading the charge with a magnificent century.

The home side started off well against the Kings as their openers Masood and Rizwan laid a solid foundation for a massive total with a brilliant 85-run opening partnership with Masood scoring his first half-century of the ongoing season.

Experienced all-rounder Shoaib Malik then provided a much-needed breakthrough to the Kings as he removed Masood soon after the latter got to his fifty. He scored 51 off 33 deliveries with the help of six boundaries and a six.

Masood’s dismissal did not bother the Sultans’ march for a big total much as Rizwan then joined hands with in-form Rilee Rossouw and put on an astonishing 109-run partnership before the latter perished in the final over after scoring 29 off 21 balls, hitting four boundaries.

Rizwan remained the core aggressor of his century-plus stand with Rossouw and brought up his century before carrying his bat all the way through and leading the Sultans to 196/2.

Rizwan top-scored for his side with an unbeaten 110 off 64 deliveries, laced with 10 boundaries and four sixes.

For the Kings, Malik and Mohammad Umar made one scalp each.

CHITTAGONG: Pakistan’s wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan added another feather to his cap as he completed 6000 runs in T20 cricket.

Rizwan, who is currently representing Comilla Victorians in the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) struck a gritty half-century against Dhaka Dominators and played a vital role in his team’s triumph.

Following his anchoring 55-run knock, the right-handed batter amassed the 6000-run mark in T20 cricket.

Meanwhile, after Rizwan settled things down for the Victorians, Khushdil Shah launched an onslaught and struck a quickfire 64 off just 24 deliveries and powered his side to 184-4 in 20 overs.

Khushdil’s blitz featured seven boundaries and five sixes.

The 185-run target then turned out too much for the Dominators as they fell 33 runs short of the victory despite their skipper Nasir Hossain’s 66-run knock.

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CHITTAGONG: Pakistan’s wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan reached here via helicopter mere hours after reaching Dhaka and was named in the Playing XI for Comilla Victorians against Fortune Barishal.

Rizwan, who was busy on national duty amid the three-match ODI series against New Zealand till Friday has reached here today to play his first Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) 2023 fixture for the Victorians.

The right-handed batter enjoyed a successful series with the bat as he accumulated 182 runs in three matches and remained the top-scorer.

His brilliance, however, could not fire Pakistan to seal the series as Glenn Phillips’ brisk 66-run knock led New Zealand to a historic ODI series victory.

According to the details, briefly, after the conclusion of the home ODI series, Rizwan immediately left for the airport from the stadium and took a flight to Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka.

The wicketkeeper batter was poised to represent the Victorians in the ongoing edition of the BPL and the side made a desperate effort to get back on the winning track after two successive defeats by boarding him in a helicopter.

According to Bangladeshi media, Rizwan’s flight landed in Dhaka at 10:20 am (BST) and he then boarded a helicopter which landed at Women’s Sports Complex ground beside the Zahur Ahmed Chowhdury Stadium in Chattogram at 12:45 pm (BST).

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DUBAI: Mohammad Rizwan has been shortlisted for the ICC Men’s T20I Cricketer of the year 2022 award for the second time in a row.

Rizwan, who won the prestigious award in 2021, has been nominated this year too following his sublime record in T20Is with India’s Suryakumar Yadav, Zimbabwe’s Sikander Raza and England’s Sam Curran as the other three nominees.

The wicket batter who ranked No.1 in the T20I batter’s list for a brief while, collected  996 runs, nine catches and three stumpings in 25 matches, he played in 2022.

“The wicket-keeper batter amassed 996 runs in the year, continuing on from his record-breaking year in T20Is in 2021. Only Suryakumar Yadav made more runs in the year in men’s T20Is.”, said an ICC media release on Thursday.

“Rizwan’s best came in the home series against England in the build-up to the T20 World Cup, when he made an unbeaten 88 off just 51 balls as Pakistan scaled a 200-plus target without the loss of a wicket,” it added.

it is worth mentioning here that Rizwan claimed the ICC Player of the Month award for September 2022 due to his prolific form in the Asia Cup and seven-match home series against England. he scored seven fifties in 10 matches he played in that month.

Rizwan scored 10 fifties in the outgoing year in the shortest format and finished the Asia Cup 2023 as the leading run-scorer with 281 runs.

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