Pakistan’s wicket-keeper batter Mohammad Rizwan has been named the T20 player of the year by Wisden after a stellar 2021.
Before 2021, Mohammad Rizwan had scored 313 T20I runs in 26 matches.
In 2021 alone, he scored a staggering 1,326 runs at an average of 73.66, with one century and 12 half-centuries.
A stunning 12 months for Wisden's Leading T20 Cricketer in the World 🔥#WisdenAwards pic.twitter.com/P1nH4KufS7
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) April 20, 2022
Rizwan had already nabbed the ICC’s honor for the same format.
The 29-year-old completed a remarkable turnaround last year after his T20 career looked to be over.
He finished as the leading run-scorer in the game’s shortest format all while breaking the record for most runs scored in the format in a calendar year.
Mohammad Rizwan finished with 1,326 international runs at an average of 73.66 in 26 breaking the calendar record, set by Ireland’s Paul Stirling in 2019, by almost 600 runs.
He also stands alone as the first batter in the world to breach the 2,000-run mark in a calendar year the likes of which have not been managed by T20 masters including Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli, or even Babar Azam.
In all T20 cricket, he made 2,036 runs with an average of 56.
Tasked with opening the batting, he formed a formidable partnership with Babar Azam that delivered Pakistan’s first win over India in an ICC World Cup.
The opening pair managed to carry Pakistan to the semifinals of the competition.
Rizwan, after spending days in the ICU prior to the game, contributed 67 off 52 balls against the Aussies to give his side a chance.
It was the domestic circuit where Rizwan first made a name for himself. He led Multan Sultans to their first PSL title after being released by Karachi Kings.
Under his leadership, Multan set a new standard in PSL this year but his team fell to Lahore in the final while defending their crown.
