London: Sussex Cricket on Thursday announced the signing of Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan for the majority of the 2022 season.
Mohammad will join Sussex following Australia’s tour of Pakistan that concludes in early April. He will then be available in both Championship and T20 cricket until the end of the Vitality Blast in mid-July.
As well as being regarded as one of the most accomplished ‘keepers in the world, the 29-year-old from Peshawar also has a formidable batting record in all formats.
In first-class cricket, Mohammad averages over 43 with the bat, including nearly 1,000 runs in 19 Test matches at an average of over 42.
He enjoyed significant success in English conditions during Pakistan’s three-match Test series in 2020, averaging over 40, being named Pakistan’s player of the series and being described by Nasser Hussain as “the best for a long, long time” when it came to touring wicketkeepers.
In 54 T20Is, Mohammad averages a stunning 50.06 with the bat at a strike-rate of 126.6. He has enjoyed a stellar 2021, becoming the first batter to score over a thousand T20I runs in a calendar year and surpassed Chris Gayle’s six-year-old record for the most T20 runs scored in a calendar year.
He was also the third-highest run-scorer in the recent ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, scoring 281 runs in six innings as Pakistan made it to the semi-finals, and is now ranked by the ICC as the world’s fourth-best batter in men’s T20Is.
Mohammad was full of positivity after signing for Sussex, sending this message to the club’s supporters: “Dear Sussex Family. I am absolutely honoured and excited to be a part of the historic Sussex County Cricket Club for the 2022 season. I have always heard great things about the Sussex community and this family club was always close to my heart.”
“In my heart, I know our young team has the potential to beat any team. Our strength lies in our hard work, honesty, deep commitment, and self-belief: we can win, we will win, and we will play like champions, no matter what! In shaa Allah, I look forward to a great season.”