The Pakistan National Cricket Team could be without one of their most experienced players for the upcoming Test series against the West Indies. Star wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan is currently struggling with a fitness issue, which puts his participation in doubt.
Rizwan currently is attending Pakistan’s red-ball training camp at the National Cricket Academy (NCA). The camp started on June 8 and will continue until July 10, but things are concerning for the former Pakistan captain at the moment.
Pakistan sweating over Mohammad Rizwan’s fitness before West Indies Tests
As reported by Geo News, Mohammad Rizwan, who was recently called unprofessional, missed the first week of Pakistan’s red-ball training camp. And since joining the camp, the senior wicketkeeper-batter has mostly been working with the medical staff and focusing on recovery instead of taking part in regular practice sessions.
The next few days will be very important for Rizwan. The medical team of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is expected to assess the experienced wicketkeeper-batter’s fitness on July 6.
After getting the report following the assessment by the PCB medical team, the Pakistan team management will decide whether Rizwan is fit enough to travel to the West Indies for the series.
Pakistan’s complete West Indies tour schedule
The Pakistan national cricket team is scheduled to leave for the Caribbean on July 13. Before the two-match Test series against the West Indies team, the touring side will also play a four-day warm-up match from July 18 to help the players prepare for the conditions.
The two-match Test series between the West Indies and Pakistan will be played in Trinidad and Tobago. The first Test is scheduled at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba, Trinidad and Tobago, starting on July 25. On the other hand, the second and final test will be played from August 2 at the Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.
Ghazi Ghori and Rohail Nazir set for West Indies tour if Rizwan misses
If Mohammad Rizwan is not declared fit, Pakistan may have to find his replacement for the upcoming Caribbean tour. It is being said that Ghazi Ghori and Rohail Nazir are leading the race for the wicketkeeper’s role if the former captain fails to attain the match fitness in time.
If Rizwan misses the Test series, it will be a big blow to Pakistan, as he has been one of their best Test batters in recent years. In his last 15 Test matches, Rizwan has scored 1,157 runs, including one century and nine half-centuries, and these are the most numbers by any Pakistani in that period.
Mohammad Rizwan’s Test career in numbers
Mohammad Rizwan has played 43 Test matches so far and scored 2,580 runs at an impressive average of 40.31. His highest Test score is an unbeaten 171 against Bangladesh. Rizwan has so far smashed three centuries and 14 half-centuries in the traditional format of the game.
Apart from his gritty batting, Rizwan is also an excellent wicketkeeper-batter and has also done an excellent job behind the stumps, taking 114 catches and completing nine stumpings. The 33-year-old wicketkeeper-batter is among the few Pakistani wicketkeepers to score more than 2,000 Test runs while also completing over 100 dismissals as a keeper.
Rizwan also shares the record for the sixth-highest number of dismissals by a wicketkeeper in a single Test innings after taking six catches behind the stumps in one innings. He is also the only second wicketkeeper-batter in international cricket history after Brendon McCullum to score centuries in Tests, ODIs, and T20Is.
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Author: Rashmi Wasnik
