Pakistan's wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan made headlines after he tried his hand at bowling while playing for his County Championship Division Two side Sussex in the ongoing 2022 season. Rizwan, who is playing in the team alongside India's Test top-order specialist Cheteshwar Pujara, was seen bowling medium pace during Sussex's draw against Durham.
In the video shared by Sussex's official Twitter handle, the Pakistani is bowling with a short run-up and bowling tight line and lengths against their opponents Durham. He conceded five runs in his two overs. "He does it all. M. Rizwan's first over in the County Championship," wrote Sussex Cricket.
Young pace star Shaheen Afridi also reacted to Rizwan's bowling display, coming up with a hilarious reply. "Rizzi bhai, ab kya hum retirement le lain? Ye aap kya ker rahe hain? Kuch hamare liye bhi chorh dain," he wrote.
The game was a very fruitful one for Pujara, who shone with the bat to score his second double hundred in three matches. The Indian shared a century stand with Rizwan as the pair put on 154 for the sixth wicket. Although India have cut bilateral cricket ties with Pakistan, Pujara and Rizwan's batting stand drew a lot of attention on social media.
The duo began their partnership in the final session of Day 2, and a picture of the two having a conversation at the crease went viral. The cricket heavyweights have not faced each other in a bilateral series since Pakistan toured India in 2012/13. They will lock horns in this year's T20 World Cup in Australia.
Apart from Rizwan's bowling antics, Pujara was close to his best form after notching up another double century in three matches since his apparent removal from the Indian team. The veteran batter was dropped from the Test team following the series loss in South Africa earlier this year. On his Sussex debut against Derbyshire, Pujara had scored six and an unbeaten 201, his first for Sussex.
