Muhammad Rizwan breaks record for most T20I runs in a calendar year

LAHORE: Wicket-keeper batsman Mohammad Rizwan made another substantial contribution for Pakistan, surpassing the previous record of the highest runs scored in the Twenty20 International (T20I) format in a calendar year.

With his knock of 46 runs against West Indies on Saturday, the right-handed opener now has amassed 752 runs in 2021 in 15 matches (14 innings), at a staggering average of 94.00 while striking at 140.03.

The right-handed batsman, who slammed seven fifties and one century, has surpassed the previous record of Ireland’s Paul Stirling, who aggregated 748 runs in 20 innings of 20 matches at an average of 41.55 in 2019.

While the third and fourth places are occupied by Ireland’s Kevin O’Brien (729) and the Netherlands’ Maxwell O’Dowd (702), India’s Shikhar Dhawan is fifth in the list with 689 runs in 17 innings of 18 matches.

Mohammad Rizwan indeed stands a chance to become the first batsman to notch up 1000 T20I runs in a single year. Pakistan will play two more matches against West Indies and host England for a couple of T20Is just before the T20 World Cup.

On Saturday, the Men in Green picked up a seven-run victory over West Indies in the second Twenty20 International (T20I) at the Providence Stadium in Guyana. Pakistan now have a one-nil lead in the four-match T20I series against West Indies after the first T20I was washed out due to rain.