21/10/2025
Rizwan has never been one of those “naturally gifted” players people talk about. He built everything through sheer hard work, discipline, and faith. From the very beginning, he’s been a fighter — not someone who got things handed to him.
People trolled him for almost everything.
For his leg-side game.
For wearing sunblock cream.
For speaking English in interviews.
Even for offering his prayers during a match break.
But through it all, he kept his head down and kept performing. That’s what makes him different.
When it comes to wicketkeeping, Rizwan is right up there among the best Pakistan has ever produced. His reflexes, glove work, and game awareness behind the stumps have been exceptional — consistent, reliable, and fearless.
Now let’s talk about his batting.
In ODIs over the past three years, Rizwan has been Pakistan’s top performer — scoring 1,648 runs at an average of 53, with 10 fifties and 2 hundreds.
Most ODI hundreds for Pakistan since Jan 1, 2023:
Fakhar: 4 (24 innings)
Saim: 3 (12 innings)
Rizwan: 2 (41 innings)*
Babar: 2 (41 innings)
Most ODI fifties:
Babar: 15 (41 innings)
Rizwan: 10 (41 innings)*
Imam: 6 (20 innings)
Abdullah: 6 (26 innings)
Highest ODI averages:
Rizwan: 53*
Saim: 49
Fakhar: 49
Babar: 43
And who can forget his heroic hundred during Pakistan’s record chase — the highest successful run chase in Pakistan’s ODI and World Cup history — against Sri Lanka in 2023?
In Test cricket, Rizwan’s story is all about resilience. He debuted in 2016, played just one match, scored 13 runs, and was dropped. But he didn’t give up. He fought his way back into the side in 2019 and has been consistent ever since. Except for 2022, when his average dipped to 30.8, he has averaged above 40 every other year. His overall Test average stands at 41.
Since January 2023, he has scored 989 runs at an average of 45, with 5 fifties and a hundred.
Most Test hundreds since Jan 1, 2023:
Saud: 4 (30 innings)
Abdullah: 2 (23 innings)
Agha: 2 (30 innings)
Shan: 2 (31 innings)
Rizwan: 1 (24 innings)*
Most Test fifties:
Agha: 7 (30 innings)
Shan: 6 (31 innings)
Rizwan: 5 (24 innings)*
Imam: 4 (11 innings)
Highest Test averages:
Saud: 46
Rizwan: 45*
Agha: 42
Sarfraz: 39
In T20Is, he’s been just as reliable — averaging 47 with a strike rate of 126. Not explosive, but remarkably consistent.
Most T20I hundreds since Jan 1, 2023:
Hasan Nawaz: 1 (22 innings)
Babar: 1 (27 innings)
Haris: 1 (29 innings)
Most T20I fifties:
Rizwan: 7 (24 innings)*
Babar: 6 (27 innings)
Farhan: 5 (24 innings)
Fakhar: 5 (35 innings)
Highest T20I averages:
Rizwan: 43*
Babar: 35
Fakhar: 28
Irfan: 27
Here’s a fun stat: Pakistan has successfully chased 175+ targets in T20Is 10 times — and Rizwan was part of 7 of those matches. In every single one, he scored 50 or more. His lowest score in those games was 56, and the rest were all above 70.
87 (45) vs WI (Target 208)
73 (47) vs SA (204)
88 (51) vs ENG (200)
75 (46) vs IRE (194)
74 (50) vs SA (189)
71 (51) vs IND (182)
56 (38) vs IRE (179)
He’s also the only wicketkeeper in the world averaging 40+ across all three formats. That’s elite company.
Now, about his captaincy.
Yes, in T20Is he didn’t win any of the two series he captained — but both were away in Australia and South Africa. Not easy conditions for Pakistan.
In ODIs, he had mixed results — failing in the Champions Trophy and series against New Zealand and West Indies. But he’s also the only Pakistan captain to win series in both Australia and South Africa, including a historic whitewash in South Africa — something no other Pakistan captain has done.
People forget that when Pakistan struggled in the Champions Trophy and afterward, it wasn’t just about captaincy. The entire team selection was influenced by Aqib Javed. While other teams like Australia and New Zealand went with 3–4 spinners, Pakistan took only one — because Aqib publicly said “spinners aren’t our strength.” And yet, Rizwan is the one being blamed today.
Now reports suggest he might be removed from ODI captaincy just because he disagrees with Aqib Javed and the selection committee. Meanwhile, Shan Masood stays captain despite Pakistan finishing 9th in the WTC cycle, and Agha stays captain despite poor results against Bangladesh and struggles against weaker teams in the Asia Cup.
Double standards everywhere.
When Mohsin Naqvi became PCB Chairman, he promised stability — but what we got was chaos. It took him six months to appoint permanent coaches. Azhar Mahmood acted as interim coach all that time. And just after one white-ball tournament (T20 World Cup) and two Test series (England, Bangladesh), both Kirsten and Gillespie were removed.
He’s changed selection committees multiple times.
He’s changed captains like musical chairs — removing Shaheen after just one T20 series, reappointing Babar for three series and a World Cup, then replacing him with Rizwan, and now reportedly planning to remove Rizwan too.
In ODIs, he made Rizwan captain but said from day one, “We can’t say for how long.” In Tests, only Shan remains untouched — and we all know why: his family has deep connections inside PCB.
At this point, it feels like the board doesn’t want Pakistan cricket to grow. Every time we start to build something promising, internal politics and poor management tear it apart. Rizwan has been one of the few bright spots — a symbol of work ethic, faith, and determination — and yet, he’s the one under fire again.
![Most Runs in T20I Middle Overs [7-16] for Pakistan. (Strike Rate)2322 - Babar Azam (135.1)1543 - Mohammad Rizwan (124.5)...](https://img5.medioq.com/441/114/1635162404411142.jpg)
