How Mohammad Rizwan's Promotion As Opener In 2020 Made Him A Pakistan Superstar

Aashay Chopade

Rizwan for Pakistan (Source:@cricketmedia_/X.com)Rizwan for Pakistan (Source:@cricketmedia_/X.com)

Mohammad Rizwan has recently lost his place in the Pakistan's T20 squad due to his below-par strike-rate. However, it is the same position where he scored tons of runs for Pakistan in the shortest format and first grabbed limelight as one of the leading batters in the country.

The wicketkeeper batter started his T20 career in the middle order, a position where he still bats in other formats. He made his debut in T20Is in 2015 but could not make a significant impact in the middle order with chances not coming regularly.

Rizwan's Rise From Sarfaraz' Replacement To No. 1 T20I Batter

He is also not a power-hitter, and thus, he was getting underutilised as a batter in T20Is. However, he was the country's leading wicketkeeper after Sarfaraz Ahmed at that time and was touted to play regularly in all three formats in future.

Thus, when Pakistan decided to move away from Sarfaraz Ahmed around 2020, Rizwan started getting regular chances. He started doing well in Test cricket by then, and the quality as a batter was in front of everyone. Thus, Pakistan needed a better way to utilise Rizwan in T20Is and, therefore, in 2020, the team management made a bold call.

They decided to promote Mohammad Rizwan as an opener on Pakistan's tour of New Zealand in 2020, and it turned out to be a game-changer. The batter failed in the initial two T20Is, but then smashed 89 in Napier, proving to the world that he can succeed at the top of the order. In the next match, he slammed his first T20I ton in Lahore against South Africa and never looked back since then.

Mohammad Rizwan's Year-Wise Average In T20Is

Year
Average
202044.33
202173.66
202245.27
202354
202441.13

The consistent churning of runs followed, and Rizwan's average has never come below 40 in T20Is from 2020 to 2024. In 2022, he became the number 1-ranked T20I batter in the world, and his popularity in Pakistan and across the cricketing world increased. 

Mohammad Rizwan's Average According To Batting Positions

Batting Positions
Average
As Opener
51.84
At No. 3
32.33
At No. 4
17
At No. 5
20

T20I Domiance Helped Rizwan Consolidate His Stature In Pakistan Cricket

Till 2022, Mohammad Rizwan's numbers in ODIs were not that great, but such was his dominance in T20Is that there was no doubt that he would succeed eventually. In the meantime, he was dominating as captain of Multan Sultans in PSL too and was then made the captain in white-ball formats after the T20 World Cup 2024.

Now, he has been dropped from the T20Is despite possessing an average of 47.41 in the format. He has been removed because Pakistan want to move towards an aggressive brand of cricket in T20Is. He is still the captain of the ODI side and an important member of the Test team. However, for years to come, Rizwan's rise in Pakistan cricket would be credited to his exploits as an opener in T20Is and the management's decision to make him an opener in 2020.