Mohammad Rizwan completes 2,000 T20 runs in 2021: Key stats
Pakistan opener Mohammad Rizwan has been on a roll this year. His uncanny 87 helped Pakistan chase a mammoth 208 in the third T20I against West Indies. During the match, Rizwan became the first-ever batter to smash 2,000 T20 runs in a calendar year. Rizwan, who was adjudged the Player of the Match, finished the three-match series as the leading run-scorer.
Why does it matter?
Rizwan has had a superb year so far in T20Is. He had a successful ICC T20 World Cup campaign where he averaged 70.25. He has played several match-winning knocks for Pakistan this year. The Pakistan opener has broken plenty of records, especially in the shortest format. Rizwan led the runs tally in the West Indies T20I series as well (203 runs).
First batter with over 2,000 T20 runs in a year
As stated, Rizwan has become the first-ever batter to register 2,000 T20 runs in a calendar year. He earlier broke the record of Universe Boss Chris Gayle, who smashed 1,665 runs from 36 T20s in 2015. Rizwan's compatriot Babar Azam also overtook Gayle this year. The Pakistan skipper has racked up 1,779 runs in T20 cricket in 2021.
Joint-second-most 50+ scores in a calendar year (T20s)
In the 3rd T20I against West Indies, Rizwan recorded his 18th fifty-plus score of the ongoing year. He now has the joint-second-most T20 50+ scores in a calendar year along with Kohli. Babar tops this list with 19 such scores.
Only batter with 1,000 T20I runs in a calendar year
Earlier this year, Rizwan became the first batter to touch the 1,000-run mark (T20Is) in a calendar year. He broke the record of Ireland's Paul Stirling, who aggregated 748 T20I runs in 2019. Rizwan finished 2021 with 1,326 runs from 29 T20Is at an incredible average of 73.66. He registered a hundred (104*) and 12 half-centuries.
A look at his T20 career
Rizwan made his T20I debut in 2015 against Bangladesh. As of now, he has tallied 1,639 runs from 55 T20Is at a strike rate of 128.95. Rizwan is one of the two batters with a T20I average of over 50 (51.21). Kohli is the other (52.04). Overall, Rizwan has scored 4,065 T20 runs. He has smashed 2,036 of these in 2021, at 56.55.
