Pakistan's Mohammad Rizwan Retired Out in BBL; Fans Call It an 'Embarrassing' Moment (X: @BBL)
Australia: Pakistan star batter Mohammad Rizwan found himself in an unusual and awkward situation in the Big Bash League (BBL) on Monday.
Playing for the Melbourne Renegades against the Sydney Thunder, Rizwan was retired out in the 18th over of the innings after a slow knock. The decision raised eyebrows in the cricket world because 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, 2026
Rizwan came to the crease in the middle of the innings but struggled to accelerate the scoring. He managed just 26 runs off 23 balls before 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 desperate to boost their run rate in the closing stages of the innings.
In the T20 format, teams look for quick runs in the last few overs. Rizwan’s slow scoring, even with a boundary and a six, was judged insufficient by his own side.
Retiring a batter 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 batter in BBL history, to be retired out in this way.
The moment quickly spread on social media. Some fans called it embarrassing and criticised Rizwan's strike rate and approach during his innings.
Others defended the player, noting the pressure of performing in franchise cricket and the strategic nature of the decision by the Renegades captain.
Rizwan's season in the Big Bash has been below expectations so far. Across eight matches before this game, he had scored only 167 runs with a strike rate just above 100, not the sort of explosive batting often required in T20 leagues.
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