LAHORE: Muhammad Riazullah, a middle-order batter from Upper Dir, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, is set to play a crucial role in Pakistan’s lineup at the ICC U19 World Cup in South Africa.
Due to limited facilities in Upper Dir, Riazullah moved to Peshawar at an early age to pursue cricket. Initially, his family was reluctant, but he promised to focus on education alongside his cricket pursuits. The family faced financial constraints, especially with his brother’s cancer treatment. Coaches supported Riazullah by significantly reducing his fees, enabling him to continue his cricket journey. Riazullah started playing club cricket in Peshawar in 2018 and participated in the PCB-organised U13 regional tournament in the subsequent year. In the 2021-22 National U16 Cup, he topped the batting charts, and in the 2023-24 National U19 Cup, representing Abbottabad U19, he finished as the second-highest run-scorer.
Impressive performances earned Riazullah a spot in the national U19 team for the home series against Sri Lanka U19 and the ACC U19 Asia Cup 2023, where he played a match-winning innings against Afghanistan U19. Riazullah looks up to Babar Azam as his inspiration and aims to emulate the dynamic batter’s success in his cricket career.