Mohammad Rizwan responds with a double ton after Pakistan axing

The 34-year-old wicketkeeper-batter came in to bat at 127-3 against Faisalabad Region on the first day of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, and went on to smash a double century. Rizwan batted for 252 balls and remained unbeaten on 200, which included 35 fours and a six.

Rizwan, who began the second day on an overnight score of 111, added a mammoth 246-run stand for the fourth wicket with Najab Khan (133). He then stitched an unbroken 130-run partnership with Muhammad Haris for the fifth wicket to power Peshawar Region Blues to 503-4 before declaring.

This was Rizwan’s 16th century in first-class cricket, and his second instance of reaching the double century, having scored 224 in 2014. He played one match in the President's Trophy Grade-I last month, where he made 64 & 27 across two innings.

Rizwan has been dealing with the off-field issues with an ongoing probe by National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) in Pakistan. His last Test appearance for Pakistan was in August against England, and he was one of the seven players to be sent home following the defeat in the second Test.

The wicketkeeper had a poor series in England, managing only 61 runs across four innings before he was dropped. Since making his debut in 2016, he has played 47 Tests for Pakistan as their primary keeper for the most part. He amassed 2,682 runs at an average of 37.77 with three centuries and 14 half centuries.

Following a poor run of form and with an ongoing investigation, he was left out of Pakistan's squad for the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka, which begins on November 9 at Rawalpindi.

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