Australia: Pakistan star thrash Mohammad Rizwan found himself in an unusual and worrisome situation in the Big Bash League (BBL) on Monday.
What happened in the Big Bash League?
Playing for the Melbourne Renegades versus the Sydney Thunder, Rizwan was retired out in the 18th over of the innings without a slow knock. The visualization raised eyebrows in the cricket world considering it's rare to see a player retired out in a professional T20 match.
Muhammad Rizwan has been retired out by the Melbourne Renegades #BBL15 pic.twitter.com/AuTGoTIHqb
— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) January 12, 2026Why was he retired out?
Rizwan came to the ruckle in the middle of the innings but struggled to slide the scoring. He managed just 26 runs off 23 balls surpassing the team's captain, Will Sutherland, signalled for him to retire. The move came with two overs still remaining, a sign that the Renegades were drastic to uplift their run rate in the latter stages of the innings.
In the T20 format, teams squint for quick runs in the last few overs. Rizwan’s slow scoring, plane with a purlieus and a six, was judged insufficient by his own side.
How unusual is this?
Retiring a thrash mid-innings is extremely uncommon in top-level cricket and is usually only seen in informal games. Rizwan became one of the few players and reportedly the first overseas thrash in BBL history, to be retired out in this way.
How have fans reacted?
The moment quickly spread on social media. Some fans tabbed it embarrassing and criticised Rizwan's strike rate and tideway during his innings.
Others secure the player, noting the pressure of performing in franchise cricket and the strategic nature of the visualization by the Renegades captain.
What does this midpoint for Rizwan's BBL campaign?
Rizwan's season in the Big Bash has been unelevated expectations so far. Across eight matches surpassing this game, he had scored only 167 runs with a strike rate just whilom 100, not the sort of explosive batting often required in T20 leagues.
