Mohammad Rizwan, the wicket-keeper batsman for Pakistan, set a new T20I record for runs scored in the tri-nation series final versus New Zealand on Friday at Hagley Oval in Christchurch.
Rizwan beat Indian batting superstar Suryakumar Yadav in the game’s shortest format, scoring 34 runs off 29 balls to complete the series as the second-highest run-scorer.
Yadav has scored 801 runs in 23 innings with a strike rate of 40.05 and a strike rate of 184.53, whereas Rizwan has scored 821 runs in 18 innings of T20I play with a strike rate of 126.30 and an average of 54.73.
Here are the top 5 on the list:
| Player | Team | Mat | Inns | Runs | HS | Ave | SR | 100 | 50 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mohammad Rizwan | Pakistan | 18 | 18 | 821 | 88* | 54.73 | 126.30 | 0 | 9 |
| SA Yadav | India | 23 | 23 | 801 | 117 | 40.05 | 184.56 | 1 | 6 |
| DS Airee | Nepal | 18 | 17 | 626 | 110* | 48.15 | 136.68 | 1 | 4 |
| S Davizi | Czech Republic | 15 | 15 | 612 | 115* | 51.00 | 146.41 | 2 | 2 |
| Babar Azam | Pakistan | 19 | 19 | 611 | 110* | 38.18 | 131.96 | 1 | 4 |
The 30-year-old also concluded 2021 with a record-breaking 1,326 runs in just 26 innings, including 1 century and 12 fifties, and was named the ICC’s T20I Cricketer of the Year. He also finished the year as the highest run-getter in the format.
The KP-born cricketer ended Babar Azam’s 1025-day reign as all-format captain last month when he ousted Pakistan’s captain from the top spot in the T20I batting rankings.
Rizwan was harshly criticized for his slow batting, but he silenced his detractors by winning the Asia Cup and finished second in the tri-series in runs scored.
