Mohammad Rizwan, a Pakistan wicketkeeper believes being a wicketkeeper has given him the freedom to express himself and back his natural game. Mohammad Rizwan has been a revelation for Pakistan and is arguably their next best batsman at the moment, after skipper Babar Azam.
Mohammad Rizwan has had a staggering 2021 so far in the shortest format for Pakistan. In just 13 games, he has scored a hundred, as well as seven half-centuries.
Mohammad Rizwan Loves To Keep Wickets
Speaking to The National, Mohammad Rizwan explained how important wicketkeeping is to him and how he has adapted to the role of a keeper-batsman.
“Keeping wickets is my love. I am not satisfied after a practice session if I do not spend time in my gloves. I think wicketkeeping makes me a fearless personality and it helped me a lot in my batting as well. Wicketkeeping is my prime job and I consider myself as a wicketkeeper batsman,” said Rizwan.
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Mohammad Rizwan had a brilliant series against England, where he scored 176 runs in three innings. Although Pakistan lost the series 2-1, he feels the team got a great understanding of their preparation for the T20 World Cup.
Mohammad Rizwan has proven to be an able replacement of Sarfaraz Ahmed behind the stumps, averaging 43 with the bat in Tests and affecting 38 dismissals in 15 Tests. But it is in white-ball, and especially T20s, where Mohammad Rizwan has flourished.
The 29-year-old averages just under 49 after 39 T20s, and has risen to seventh in the ICC rankings for batsmen. He had a stellar 20-over series recently in England, with scores of 63, 37, and 76 not out as the men in green put up a good fight before losing the series 2-1.
Mohammad Rizwan: Spinners Performed Well Which Is A Good Sign Before T20I World Cup 2021 At UAE
The showpiece event is set to be played in the UAE where the pitches will be on the slower side. Mohammad Rizwan was particularly happy with the way the spinners bowled against England and feels it is a huge positive going forward for Pakistan.
“Yes it [England series] was a major test before the global event starts in the Gulf. But I think our boys did very well against a team that is No 1 in T20 cricket. We played competitive cricket in the T20 series against England. The decider went into the last over. Our spinners stood up, which is a really good sign before the UAE event where spinners will play an important role,” Rizwan concluded.
The ICC T20 World Cup 2021 is set to take place in UAE from October 24 while the qualifiers start on October 17. For Pakistan, Shadab Khan was the highest wicket-taker as in 3 T20Is, he picked 5 scalps averaging 21.4. Imad Wasim, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Mohammad Hasnain picked 4 wickets each.
Mohammad Rizwan amassed 176 runs in the series averaging 88 and topped the batting charts while Babar Azam was 3rd on the list with 118 runs averaging 39.33.