Pakistan opener Mohammad Rizwan hit a classy ton against South Africa as the hosts won the thrilling encounter in the last over to take 1-0 lead in the three-T20I series in Lahore on Thursday.
En route to his unbeaten 104 off 64 balls, Rizwan became only the second wicket-keeper batsman after former New Zealand cricketer Brendon McCullum to smash a ton in all three formats of the game. McCullum as a specialist keeper had scored 5 Test hundreds, 3 ODI tons and 1 T20I century. On the other hand, Rizwan as a keeper has scored 2 hundreds in ODIs and 1 each in Tests and T20Is.
Batting first, Rizwan was at his attacking best as he smoked 7 sixes which is also the maximum number of sixes hit by a Pakistani batsman in the shortest format of the game. The 28-year-old is also only the second Pakistan cricketer to score a T20I century behind Ahmed Shehzad who achieved the feat in Dhaka against Bangladesh in the World Cup seven years ago.
Most sixes by a Pakistan batsman in a T20I match @iMRizwanPak #HarHaalMainCricket | #BackTheBoysInGreen pic.twitter.com/0hHlKHfD7e
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) February 12, 2021
With his record-breaking ton against the Proteas, Rizwan managed to impress South Africa’s woman cricketer Marizanne Kapp. The 31-year-old all-rounder is one of the mainstays of South Africa women’s team and holds the record for the highest individual score by a South African at the ICC Women’s World Cups – 102 not out versus Pakistan in 2013.
She also has a hat-trick to her name in Women’s T20 internationals.
Kapp took to Twitter to heap praises on Rizwan for his scintillating knock in the series opener against her country’s men’s team.
“Absolutely love this guy @iMRizwanPak, brilliant cricketer,” tweeted Kapp.
Absolutely love this guy @iMRizwanPak , brilliant cricketer 🙌🏻 https://t.co/58OElvw7Eo
— Marizanne Kapp (@kappie777) February 11, 2021
