Rizwan has been in the Pakistan set-up a while now, but could never cement a place in the side until recently, given he was competing, for the most part, against the team’s captain. However, since Sarfaraz’s removal as captain, Rizwan is now the man in possession but faces a fight to hold on to his hard-earned spot.

Here’s what we know about the 28-year-old.

1. Mohammad Rizwan steals the showhttps://t.co/VhtOeuMbSB

— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) July 21, 2020

First impressions of Mohammad Rizwan

Rizwan made his international debut shortly after the 2015 World Cup, where Pakistan crashed out in the quarter-finals – it was a tournament where Sarfaraz and Umar Akmal both took the gloves at varying points, and the impression was there was an opening for a wicketkeeper.

Rizwan started out as a specialist batsman for Pakistan though, hammering 67 off 58 in an ODI against Bangladesh in 2015, in his first international knock. A T20I debut followed later against the same opposition, and he was retained for the tour of Sri Lanka a few months down the line too. Rizwan impressed as a specialist batsman, scoring a half-century and a quickfire 22-ball 35 as Pakistan won that series 3-2.

Weaknesses exposed

Rizwan couldn’t keep his form going. Against England and New Zealand late in 2015 and early 2016, against better quality attacks than he faced against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, Rizwan struggled. He soon lost his place in the lead-up to the 2016 T20 World Cup, with Sarfaraz picked ahead of him as the designated wicketkeeper, and after that tournament, the limited-overs captain.

Sarfaraz, who was dropped after the Sri Lanka series in October last year, impressed enough in the domestic circuit to earn a place in the squad that travelled to England. However, he remains the second-choice wicketkeeper behind Rizwan in a reversal of fortunes. Rizwan’s tour of England got off to the perfect start; he scored 154 unbeaten runs across both innings in Pakistan’s first intra-squad warm-up fixture. Sarfaraz failed to pass 30 in each of his three innings in the two warm-up games.

Their simultaneous presence in the squad hasn’t caused any jitters. “I am a fan of Sarfaraz and have a lot of love in my heart for him,” Rizwan recently said, according to reports in Pakistan. “There is no added pressure on me due to his presence. He’s my senior and I am learning a lot from him.”