Presenting the unique T20I records of Mohammad Rizwan
Veteran wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan will be critical to Pakistan's success in the upcoming 2024 ICC T20 World Cup in West Indies and USA. Rizwan is among the most consistent run-getters in the format and his stellar numbers state the same. The star batter has been a part of two previous T20 WC campaigns. Here we decode his unique T20I records.
Fastest to 3,000 T20I runs
Last month, Rizwan became the fastest batter to complete 3,000 T20I runs. He achieved the mark in 79 innings, breaking the records of Virat Kohli and Babar Azam (81 innings each). Having played 93 games, the right-handed batter currently owns 3,048 runs at a strike rate of 127.42. He owns one ton and 26 fifties. Rizwan is overall the eighth-highest run-getter in T20Is.
Second-highest average in T20Is
Rizwan's T20I average of 49.96 is only second to Kohli (51.75) among batters with at least 1,000 runs. Suryakumar Yadav is next on this list with an average of 45.55. Among Pakistan players, Babar trails Rizwan as he averages 41.10 in the format. No other full-member team batter averages over 40 in T20Is (Minimum: 1,000 runs).
Most runs for a keeper in T20Is
Earlier this year, Rizwan went past England's Jos Buttler (2,753) to become the designated wicket-keeper with the most T20I runs. The former currently owns 2,851 runs in this regard at 51.83. No other keeper-batter with at least 400 T20 runs averages more than Rizwan. Meanwhile, the Pakistan batter's tally of 2,796 T20I runs as an opener is the seventh-most for a batter.
First opening pair to get this feat
Babar (68) and Rizwan (79*) helped Pakistan chase down 152 runs against India in the 2021 T20 WC. En route, the duo became the first pair to record a 150-plus opening stand in T20 WCs. England's Buttler and Alex Hales, who added 170* against India in the 2022 event, are the only other opening pair with a 150-plus stand in T20 WCs.
