Mohammad Rizwan of Pakistan reached the 3000-run milestone in T20I cricket during the second match of the series against New Zealand, becoming only the second Pakistani player after captain Babar Azam to achieve this feat. Pakistan fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi lavished praise on Mohammad Rizwan on social media and labelled wicketkeeper-batter as the 'Bradman of T20 cricket'. Rizwan reached the landmark in 79 innings while the other had made as many runs in 81 innings.
Shaheen took to Twitter and congratulated Rizwan on his milestone. Despite reaching the milestone, Rizwan holds the lowest strike rate among batters with 3000 T20I runs at 127.42. This is slightly lower than his teammate Babar Azam, who has the second-lowest strike rate at 129.
"Cheers to Muhammad Rizwan - the Bradman of T20 cricket and Pakistan's SuperMan for hitting 3,000 T20I runs! Your impact has transformed the game and silenced the skeptics. Keep soaring, champion! You're an inspiration to many," Shaheen Afridi wrote on Twitter.
Shaheen’s enthusiastic comparison sparked a backlash from fans on social media. Fans lambasted his comparison due to Rizwan’s performance. Both Rizwan and Babar have been criticised for not performing on big occasions for Pakistan. Top Pakistan stars failed with the bat in the previous T20I World Cup held in Australia, where Pakistan posted a modest total and ultimately lost to England, despite a strong effort from their bowlers. However, Ben Stokes played a patient knock that led England to victory.
See How Fans Reacted on Shaheen’s Tweet
Pakistan's defeat to New Zealand in the third T20I of the ongoing five-match T20I series at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi levelled the series at 1-1 with two matches remaining in Lahore. The matches will be played on April 25 and 27 at the Gaddafi Stadium.
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