Mohammad Rizwan

A talented right-hand wicket-keeper batsman who has scored centuries across all three formats, Mohammad Rizwan is one of the most technically sound batters amongst the current crop of Pakistani players. 

Rizwan made his ODI debut in 2015 against Bangladesh and scored a fluent 67 off just 58 deliveries. He made a bright start against teams like Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, and Sri Lanka, but failed to score big against the more challenging bowling line-ups. 

The following year, Rizwan made his Test debut against New Zealand. He played a solitary Test and scored a duck in his maiden innings. A lean patch in the ODI format and the subsequent rise of Sarfaraz Ahmed as the Pakistani captain led to Rizwan's eventual drop from the ODI setup before the 2017 Champions Trophy.

It wasn’t until 2019 that Rizwan got another opportunity to showcase his skills in the shorter format. Rizwan has had a better red-ball career than his white-ball exploits. A technically sound player, Rizwan has coped easily with the longest format of the game.

He was part of the Pakistan Test squad that travelled to Australia in 2019. Australia won the series convincingly, but Rizwan was the lone shining light for his team as the elegant batter accumulated 177 runs in the two-match Test series. 

Rizwan was named in Pakistan’s Test squad for the away series against England, but he was one of the seven players from the squad to test positive for COVID-19. In December 2020, for the first time, Rizwan was handed the Test captaincy against the BlackCaps when the regular skipper, Babar Azam, was ruled out due to an injury. The year 2021 started brightly for Rizwan, as he slammed his maiden Test century against South Africa and helped his team defeat South Africa in the two-match Test series.

He maintained his good form in the subsequent T20I series against the Proteas, scoring an unbeaten 104. During the ICC T20 World Cup 2021, Rizwan emerged as a cornerstone of Pakistan’s batting lineup.  Throughout the tournament, Rizwan accumulated 250 runs in 6 matches at an impressive average of 62.5 and a strike rate of 135. 

His contributions included three crucial half-centuries, with a standout unbeaten 79* in a high-pressure match against the arch-rivals, India, that shifted the momentum in Pakistan’s favour. Finishing as the third-highest run-scorer of the tournament, Rizwan’s performances not only underscored his technical prowess and resilience but also reinforced his status as a dynamic wicketkeeper-batsman for Pakistan.

In December 2021, during the series against the West Indies, Rizwan achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first batter to score 2,000 runs in T20 cricket within a single calendar year. Rizwan’s stellar performances culminated in him being named the ICC Men’s T20I Cricketer of the Year. Over the year, he amassed an impressive 1,326 runs in 29 matches, posting an extraordinary average of 73.66 and a strike rate of 134.89. 

In September 2022, Rizwan and Babar Azam combined their talents to script a historic moment in T20 cricket by forging an unbeaten 203-run partnership. Their collaborative effort not only set a new benchmark for T20 partnerships but also demonstrated how complementary playing styles can redefine team success in international cricket.

In the 2021 season, Rizwan's leadership and batting prowess were instrumental in guiding Multan Sultans to their maiden PSL title. He emerged as the second-highest run-scorer of the tournament, amassing 500 runs.

In December 2021, Sussex County Cricket Club announced the signing of Rizwan for the 2022 season to participate in both the County Championship and the T20 Blast. During the County Championship, Rizwan showcased his batting prowess and resilience. A highlight of his red-ball stint was his maiden county century against Derbyshire in June 2022, where he scored a gritty 130 off 227 deliveries.

In May 2022, Rizwan made an immediate impact by scoring an unbeaten 81 off 60 balls against Glamorgan. This performance set a new record for the highest score by a Pakistani player on T20 Blast debut, surpassing Umar Akmal's previous record of 76 not out in 2015. 

During the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup match against Sri Lanka at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad, Rizwan delivered a masterful batting performance, scoring an unbeaten 131. His innings was instrumental in Pakistan's successful chase of a formidable 345-run target, marking the highest successful run-chase in World Cup history.

In November 2024, Rizwan was handed the ODI captaincy of Pakistan, and he kick-started with series victories over Australia and South Africa. However, the Mohammad Rizwan-led Pakistan were knocked out of the 2025 Champions Trophy in the group stage. 

The ever-consistent Rizwan has lost his place in Pakistan’s T20I setup, but he is still a regular in the ODI and Test formats.

In June 2025, Muhammad Rizwan entered the Big Bash League landscape when he was selected by the Melbourne Renegades with the fourth overall pick in the BBL Draft for the 2025–26 season. The high draft position underlined the franchise’s intent to secure an experienced and proven performer, with Rizwan set to add significant quality and stability to the Renegades’ squad for the upcoming campaign.

(As of December 2025)