SYDNEY (Kashmir English): Pakistan batter Mohammad Rizwan has made an unwanted record as he became the first Pakistani to be retired during the Big Bash League (BBL) 15 game against Sydney Thunder at Sydney Showground Stadium on Monday.
Melbourne Renegades called back Rizwan to the pavilion midway through the innings for slow batting to make way for captain Will Sutherland, a rare tactical move known as being “retired out”.
The former Pakistan captain was on 26 off 23 balls when he was called back to the pavilion.
After the incident, fans reacted strongly to the right-handed batter being forced to retire out, calling it an embarrassment, while one user even said that Rizwan should retire from T20 cricket immediately.
On the other hand, the former Australian cricketer on the commentary panel also supported the captain’s decision, saying that this decision should have been made two overs earlier.
The BBL 15 season was a nightmare for Rizwan as he managed 167 runs in eight matches at an average of 20.88, without scoring a half-century.
Batting first, Melbourne Renegades posted 170 for 8 in their allotted 20 overs. Hassan Khan top-scored with 46 off 31 balls, striking one four and four sixes, while openers Josh Brown and Tim Seifert contributed 35 and 29 runs respectively.
For Sydney Thunder, the bowling attack was led by David Willey, Ryan Hadley, and Wes Agar, who picked up two wickets each to restrict the Renegades to a competitive total.
