Wicket-keeper batsman, Mohammad Rizwan’s sublime run of form has recently been turning his harshest critics into fans. His contributions with the bat in the lower order have not gone unnoticed and the cricketing fraternity has lauded him for his efforts. His strong batting displays might well have ended Sarfaraz Ahmed’s career.
Rizwan’s strong performances over the past year have helped Pakistan on many occasions and due to his extraordinary grit and determination, he has been able to establish himself as Pakistan’s number one wicket-keeper across all formats. His consistency and excellent glove-work have also propelled him as the vice-captain of the Test team.
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Rizwan has only scored 5 half-centuries in his short career of 10 Test matches. The statistic might not be outstanding on paper but the circumstances under which he scored those runs were crucial.
Rizwan scored his first Test half-century against Australia in Brisbane in 2019. Pakistan were struggling at 94/5 in the third innings when Rizwan came out to bat. He scored 95 runs before being sent back to the pavilion by Josh Hazlewood.
His second Test half-century came against England in Southampton in 2020 in the second Test match. He came out to bat with Pakistan struggling at 120/5. He scored a gutsy 72 before being out to Stuart Broad.
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His third Test half-century came again against England in Southampton in 2020 in the third Test match. Pakistan again witnessed a batting collapse and were 75/5 when Rizwan came out to bat. He scored 53 runs, helping Pakistan to a decent total before being out to Chris Woakes.
His fourth and fifth half-centuries have come against New Zealand in the recently concluded first Test match. His first innings score of 71 came when Pakistan were struggling at 52/5 and his second innings score of 60 came when Pakistan were at 75/4.
Rizwan has shown a strong character in his short Test career and his performances will be crucial if Pakistan wants to do well in Test cricket.