RAWALPINDI: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi has showered praise on Mohammad Rizwan following his stellar unbeaten 171-run innings in the first Test against Bangladesh at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Thursday. Rizwan’s impressive knock has drawn accolades from cricketing officials and fans alike.
Naqvi took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to commend Rizwan for his remarkable performance. “What an unstoppable force Muhammad Rizwan has proven to be in the Test Match today! Congratulations to him for scoring 150 runs with the help of 9 Fours and 3 Sixes! He has surely proven himself to be an asset for Test Cricket in Pakistan,” Naqvi tweeted.
The PCB Chairman further expressed his excitement about Rizwan’s future performances, stating, “What a treat to watch! Hoping to see his performance elevate in the coming matches as well; he has surely made Pakistani Cricket Fans proud.”
Rizwan’s unbeaten 171 was the cornerstone of Pakistan’s first innings total of 448/6 before they declared. His innings included 11 boundaries and three sixes from 239 deliveries. His performance was instrumental in stabilizing Pakistan’s batting line-up after a shaky start, and he shared a pivotal 240-run partnership with Saud Shakeel, who contributed 141 runs.
Rizwan’s knock was particularly notable as it marked the first instance since 2009 that a Pakistani wicketkeeper-batsman has scored 150 or more runs in a Test match. He joins an elite group of Pakistani wicketkeepers who have achieved this milestone, including Imtiaz Ahmed, Taslim Arif, Rashid Latif, and Kamran Akmal.
What an unstoppable force Muhammad Rizwan has proven to be in the Test Match today! Congratulations to him for scoring 150 runs with the help of 9 Fours and 3 Sixers! He has surely proven himself to be an asset for Test Cricket in Pakistan. What a treat to watch! Hoping to see…
— Mohsin Naqvi (@MohsinnaqviC42) August 22, 2024
On the second day of the Test, Rizwan resumed play with 24 runs and, alongside Shakeel, dominated the Bangladesh bowlers across two sessions. Their partnership was only broken when Mehidy Hasan Miraz dismissed Shakeel. Despite Rizwan’s impressive performance, he fell short of a double century as Pakistan declared their innings.
The ongoing two-match series between Pakistan and Bangladesh forms part of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) and will continue at the same venue until September 4.
