The ongoing Big Bash League (BBL) has witnessed a surprising incident involving a senior Pakistani keeper-batter. While playing for the Melbourne Renegades, Mohammad Rizwan retired out after the signal from the dugout.The game took place on Monday, January 12,in Sydney, between the Renegades and the Sydney Thunder. In the end, the Thunder won the game by four wickets, but they are still at the bottom of the table. Meanwhile, the Renegades are in seventh position with three wins in eight games. Let’s take a look at how the slow batting of Mohammad Rizwan in BBL resulted in him getting retired out.
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Explaining Mohammad Rizwan’s Surprising Call by the Renegades
After being invited to bat first, the Renegades got off to a quick start with their openers, Josh Brown (35) and Tim Seifert (29). After the departure of Jake Fraser-McGurk (19), Mohammad Rizwan arrived at the crease at No. 4, with the side at 83/2 in 9.1 overs.
🇵🇰 Hassan Khan and Muhammad Rizwan clearing the rope for SIX!
Which one was better? 😅 #BBL15 pic.twitter.com/kPCA1XkGDk
— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) January 12, 2026
The visitors lost the wickets of Tim Seifert and Caleb Jewell (4) in the 11th over, resulting in them getting under pressure to reach a respectable total on the board. Rizwan, who was yet to come to terms with the fall of consistent wickets at the other end, tried to resurrect the team’s innings. After understanding the surface, he secured back-to-back boundaries in the form of six and a four against Ryan Hadley in the 14th over. However, the 33-year-old returned to slow batting and played too many dot balls. To be precise, he scored only 10 runs off his final 12 balls.
Reason Behind Renegades Retiring Out Mohammad Rizwan in BBL
Mohammad Rizwan retired out after the completion of the 18th over, as all-rounder and captain Will Sutherland made a gesture to call him back into the dugout. Sutherland entered the field, and Rizwan walked off, in what can be termed an embarrassing incident for the experienced keeper.
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One of the key rationales behind Rizwan’s retirement was due to him failing to garner consistent boundaries at the venue, which is known to be a batting paradise. Although his partner, Hassan Khan, found odd boundaries, the duo couldn’t accelerate the tempo required to construct a strong score on the board.
Muhammad Rizwan has been retired out by the Melbourne Renegades 👀 #BBL15 pic.twitter.com/AuTGoTIHqb
— KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) January 12, 2026
Due to Rizwan’s slow batting, he had to leave the field to allow Sutherland and the other batters to free their arms and secure boundaries in the final two overs. He scored 26 off 23 balls at a strike rate of 113.04, including two fours and a six, slow batting. However, the Renegades’ tactical game didn’t pay off, as Sutherland was dismissed for 1, while Hassan (46) also failed to provide a final flourish. They scored only 16 runs off the final two overs and finished with a 170-run total in 20 overs.
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Thereafter, the match was reduced to 16 overs due to rain interruptions, and the Thunder were set a target of 140. They got off to mediocre starts, but Sam Billings (33), Nic Maddinson (30*), and Chris Green (34*) provided valuable contributions to help the side in sealing the chase with four balls to spare. Interestingly, it was Mohammad Rizwan’s 300th T20I game, which he could not make count in winning the game for the side. With this result, all the hopes of the Melbourne-based franchise of advancing to the next stage were squashed.
Mohammad Rizwan retired out was only the third occasion in BBL history for a batter to walk off the field without an injury. Earlier, Maddinson set a precedent by retiring out after scoring only 30 off 26 balls against the Hobart Hurricanes.
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When talking about the performance of Mohammad Rizwan in BBL, it has been a disappointing tournament debut for the star batter, as he failed to live up to the expectations of the Renegades’ team management. He couldn’t elevate the scoring rate of the Melbourne Renegades, resulting in them falling behind the opposition in the middle overs.
Rizwan has garnered only 167 runs in eight innings at a dismal average of 20.87 and a meager strike rate of 101.82. His top score of 41 came against the Melbourne Stars off 38 balls, which put the side under pressure in a chase of 174. However, Josh Brown (84) and Will Sutherland (19* off 7) ensured the side ended the game on a winning note.
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Mohammad Rizwan last played a T20I in December 2024 against South Africa. Since then, he has been dropped from Pakistan’s T20I squad, as the selectors are looking for players who can employ aggressive intent to score runs. Hence, Rizwan is not among the pool of players who will take the field for the Men in Green in the 2026 T20 World Cup, which is scheduled to take place in February-March.
