Mohammad Rizwan named among Wisden’s cricketers of the Year

KARACHI: Pakistan’s wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan has been named among Wisden’s ‘Cricketers of the year’ in 2021 edition of the Wisden Almanack.

The cricketer is the 18th Pakistani in history to feature among cricketers of the year by the Wisden. “Rizwan was rewarded for both his work behind the stumps and his batting,” Wisden’s editor, Lawrence Booth said.

“Mohammad Rizwan was an electric presence behind the stumps for Pakistan, pulling off arguably the take of the summer when he caught Ben Stokes high to his left during the First Test at Old Trafford. He also averaged 40 with the bat, and was later confirmed as his country’s new captain,” Lawrence Booth added.

England Test batsmen Dom Sibley and Zak Crawley, West Indies’ all-rounder Jason Holder and English County Kent’s all-rounder Darren Stevens were the other players on the list.

The Wisden Cricketers of the Year are players selected for the honour by the annual publication Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack, based primarily on their influence on the previous English season.

In 1955, Fazal Mehmood became the first ever Pakistani to be named by Wisden among cricketers of the year. In 2017, two Pakistani cricketers – Misbah ul Haq and Younis Khan – were named in the list by Wisden.