Why Mohd. Rizwan Has Taken Over From Sarfaraz Ahmed In The Tests And ODIs But Is Still Likely To Struggle In The T20 Format

Mohd. Rizwan, Sarfraz Ahmed and Kamran Akmal are the top three wicket-keeper batsmen in the country. Recently, Mohd. Rizwan has taken over from Sarfaraz Ahmed as Pakistan’s first choice wicket-keeper batsman across formats. So, here is a look at why the 27 year old is likely to sustain his place in the Tests and ODIs but not in the T20 format.

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A Year To Remember For Mohd. Rizwan

Mohd. Rizwan scored two hundreds during the five match ODI series against Australia earlier this year. Nevertheless, he couldn’t feature in the format again because Sarfraz Ahmed was still leading the green shirts. At the Test level he played a couple of impressive knocks again at Brisbane and his wicket-keeping throughout the year has been exceptional. Unlike Sarfaraz Ahmed, Rizwan has looked much more relaxed and hence, assured behind the stumps. Therefore, it is just right to say that 2019 has been a breakthrough year for the Peshawarite.

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Why Mohd. Rizwan Is Likely To Sustain His Position In The Test And ODI Formats

Mohd. Rizwan, this year has proved himself as the best wicket-keeper in Pakistan ahead of both Sarfaraz Ahmed and Kamran Akmal both of whom are prone to dropping an important catch or two every now and then. Moreover, he is certainly younger than Kamran Akmal and without a shadow of doubt he has batted better than Sarfaraz Ahmed who couldn’t manage the pressure of captaincy throughout 2019.

Rizwan then is in good form and if he keeps playing the same way; there is every reason to be believe that he will eventually leave behind his predecessors.

Read: Why Pakistan Lost The Brisbane Test And More Importantly Why It Wasn’t A “Punjab XI”

Why T20 Is Not The Format For Rizwan

Rizwan’s keeping is not an issue across formats. However, this far in his career; Rizwan has not managed to impress with the bat in hand while featuring in the shortest format of the game. He requires a little time to settle down while batting and lacks the ability to forcefully clear the boundary. At the T20 level however, you neither have the luxury of time nor do captains keep their fielders up in the circle for too long. Thus, chances of Rizwan sustaining in the format look bleak. Kamran Akmal has an impressive T20 record with the bat but perhaps selectors won’t consider him because (a) he has grown too old and (b) he is a pretty ordinary wicket-keeper to say the least!

Therefore, even though Mohd. Rizwan has taken over from Sarfaraz Ahmed across formats; the former captain (who is pretty capable of finding gaps when in good nick) is likely to regain his spot at the T20 level sooner rather than later.