Lahore, 11 February 2021: Five days after stroking a match-winning 115 not out in the Rawalpindi Test, wicketkeeper/batsman Mohammad Rizwan slammed a maiden T20I century to mastermind Pakistan’s three-run victory over South Africa in the first match of the three-game series at the Gaddafi Stadium on Thursday.
Rizwan slapped six fours and seven sixes in an electrifying 64-ball 104 not out to lift Pakistan to 169 for six after they had been put into bat. Wrist-spinner Usman Qadir and fast bowler Haris Rauf then claimed two wickets apiece, while Mohammad Nawaz bowled economically to restrict the visitors to 166 for six.
Rizwan’s 104 not out was only the second by a Pakistan batsman after opener Ahmed Shehzad’s 111 not out against Bangladesh in Dhaka in March 2014. After waiting 81 T20Is for the first T20I centurion, Pakistan had to wait for another 80 T20Is to get the second. On this basis, the third T20I century will potentially come around the 240-match mark.
In reaching his maiden century in 27th appearance, Rizwan shattered a number of other records.
His seven sixes were the most by a Pakistan batsman, eclipsing Mohammad Hafeez and Ahmed Shehzad who had struck six sixes apiece. His 104 not out was also the highest individual T20I score by a Pakistan wicketkeeper, beating Sarfaraz Ahmed’s 89 not out against Scotland at Edinburgh in 2018.
Furthermore, Rizwan is also the only second wicket-keeper batsman after New Zealand’s Brendon McCullum to score centuries in all three formats as a designated wicketkeeper. Overall, Rizwan is the fifth wicketkeeper batsman to score a T20I century.
Pakistan made a horror start to their innings when Babar Azam was run-out on the second ball of the innings. And though there were brief resistances from Haider Ali (21), Hussain Talat (15) and Khushdil Shah (12), Rizwan ensured the scoreboard kept moving at a decent pace until he reached a personal milestone in the last over of the innings.
South Africa, chasing 170 to win in difficult bowling conditions due to foggy conditions, made a positive 53-run start before Usman Qadir struck twice to bring Pakistan back in contention. Athletic run-out of Reeza Hendricks (54) by Rizwan and two wickets in the 18th over swung the match in Pakistan’s favour as South Africa required 29 runs off the final 12 balls.
Shaheen conceded 10 off the penultimate over to give Faheem Ashraf 19 runs to defend, which he successfully did despite being hit for a six off the third ball and a four off the penultimate ball when 10 runs were required for victory.
The final two matches of the series will be played on Saturday and Sunday. If Pakistan wins both the matches and the series 3-0, they will move to 263 points, five points behind third-ranked India.
