Mohammad Rizwan
Mohammad Rizwan Credits: Twitter

Australia, on Saturday (January 6), thrashed Pakistan by eight wickets in the third and final Test, securing a 3-0 series victory. In what turned out to be another forgettable tour of Australia for Pakistan, Mohammad Rizwan’s performance stood out as one of the very few positives for the visitors.

The wicketkeeper-batsman was not preferred in the playing eleven for the first Test in Perth. Pakistan took the bold call of picking Sarfaraz Ahmed over Mohammad Rizwan for the first Test despite the former’s poor past record in Australia and the move backfired. The former Pakistan captain scored seven runs across both innings and was dismissed by Mitchell Starc in both the innings.

Mohammad Rizwan justified the call by finishing the series as Pakistan’s highest run-scorer despite not playing the first Test. In two Tests, he scored 193 runs at an average of almost 50. In the second Test in Melbourne, he scored 42 and 35 before playing knocks of 88 and 28 in the third and final Test.

Mohammad Rizwan decides against shaking hands with women:

While Mohammad Rizwan has earned praise from all around for his batting performance against Australia, a gesture by him during the third Test could potentially lead to backlash on social media. In a clip that has gone viral on social media, Mohammad Rizwan is seen declining a handshake offer from the female members of Glenn McGrath’s family just before the start of the day’s play.

As the McGrath family members lined up near the boundary, shaking hands with players making their way to the ground, Mohammad Rizwan stood out by choosing not to participate. Instead, he responded to them with a folded hand gesture.

For those who don’t know, the Sydney Cricket Ground turns into a sea of pink on day three of the Test in honour of Jane McGrath, late wife of Australia legend Glenn McGrath. The event is hosted by McGrath foundation to raise awareness against breast cancer.

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Talking about the third Test, Australia chased down 130 runs with ease to clean sweep the series. Usman Khawaja departed without opening his account before retiring David Warner and Marnus Labuschagne scored fifties and shared a 119-run stand for the second wicket to seal the game for their side.