The performance of openers has always played a vital role in all formats in the game of cricket, especially in the limited overs games. If the openers provide a solid and aggressive start, the middle order can chase or set a big total.Pakistan are on the fifth position in the ICC Test team ranking and sixth in the ODI ranking, but in the Twenty20 format, the Green-shirts stand second. This is because of skipper Babar Azam and wicket-keeper batsman Muhammad Rizwan.

Both have been the most successful openers in the Twenty20 Internationals in recent months. With their consistent steady performances, they are breaking T20I records one after another: most century partnerships ever, most runs as batting partners in a calendar year, most T20I runs in a calendar year, most scores of 50 or more in T20Is as captain and most runs after first 60 innings.

Babar and Rizwan have successfully registered their names in the cricket history books as their 113 runs opening stand against Namibia was their fifth century-stand, the most in the shortest format. They surpassed India’s Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan and New Zealand’s Martin Guptill and Kane Williamson who have four century partnerships.

Babar and Rizwan against India shared a record 152 runs not out partnership in the first game of the Twenty20 World Cup. They surpassed Chris Gayle and Devon Smith’s 145 runs opening stand against South Africa in 2007.

Rizwan and Babar registered the highest opening partnership of 196 runs while chasing the target of 203 runs in the 3rd T20I against South Africa earlier this year.

All their five century partnerships have come in 2021. Besides, they now have the highest runs partnership in all of T20 cricket in a calendar year, with their tally of runs reading a massive 967 runs in 2021. They have gone past Indian Premier League (IPL) Royal Challengers Bangalore’s AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli (916 runs).

Azam and Rizwan have also become the first opening pair to score 1000-plus runs in a calendar year. They scored 1,041 runs this year in 17 partnerships.

Bill Lowry and Bob Simpson were the first Test pair to achieve the feat in 1964. In 1986, Australia’s David Boon and Geoff Marsh became the first pair to score 1000-plus runs in One Day Internationals.

Babar’s 70 off 49 against Namibia was his 14th fifty plus score as captain. He surpassed India’s Virat Kohli’s record of 13 half-centuries as skipper. Babar took only 27 innings to reach the milestone. Kohli had played 44 innings to score 13 fifties. Australia’s T20I captain Aaron Finch and Kane Williamson of New Zealand have 11 half-centuries in 51 and 50 innings, respectively.

The Pakistani skipper has scored 2,402 runs at an average of 48.04 in 60 T20I – the most by any batsman at this stage of his T20I career. Kohli in his first 60 T20I innings had scored 2,167.

Babar got the reward of his consistent performances as he reclaimed the top spot in the T20I batsmen rankings. This is the second time Babar has achieved the feat.

Rizwan became the first player to score ten fifties in T20Is in a calendar year. He also scored a century this year. He has three-figures across all formats for Pakistan.

Rizwan also surpassed India captain Virat Kohli and Babar when he scored the most 1,651 runs in a year. Kohli scored 1,614 while Azam accumulated 1,607 in a year. Rizwan is now only four runs behind Gayle’s 1,665 runs which he scored in 2015.

Moreover, Rizwan also surpassed Kohli’s highest T20I career averages (minimum 1,000 runs scored). Rizwan is currently averaging 52.66. This is more than all the 73 batsmen who have at least scored 1,000 T20I runs.

Rizwan has equalled former Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s record of most T20 dismissals (39) in a year as a wicketkeeper. Rizwan achieved this feat in his third T20 World Cup clash against Afghanistan.

Rizwan’s T20I batting average of 86.08 as an opener is the highest among Pakistanis to have batted in the same position. In the lower middle order his performance was below par – just 16.81 in 15 innings.

Rizwan has moved to number 4 in the ICC T20I batsmen ranking.

NOTE: All statistics are updated up to the Pakistan-Namibia match, November 2, 2021.

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