Pakistan’s opening batter Mohammad Rizwan entered the history books during the third T20I between West Indies and Pakistan in Karachi. The wicket keeper-batter became the first-ever player to score 2,000 T20 runs in a single calendar year.
“Sirf Allah se hota hai. Allah k ghair se nahi hota,” he credited his milestone to the Almighty Allah.
He further dedicated his victory to his fans in Pakistan: “These records are for my beloved Pakistan. Grateful to you all for your tremendous support and love.”
Rizwan, in a post-match interview shared by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), has given credit to Misbah-ul-Haq and other staff for allowing him to play at his suited batting position which empowered and helped him successfully throughout the year.
He achieved the feat in Pakistan’s last T20I game this year. Having played an important hand in helping his side reach the semifinals in this year’s T20 World Cup, Rizwan carried over his form into the three-match T20I series against the visiting Windies contingent.
He scored 78 in the first T20I, 38 in the second T20I, and finally 87 in the third T20I to breach the 2k-landmark. No other batter has been able to do it in the shortest format. This puts into perspective the incredible year Rizwan has had, consistently putting up scores at the top of the order.
Meanwhile, he was officially signed by Sussex for a major part of the next year. He will join the English side after Australia’s tour of Pakistan concludes in April.
