English county club Sussex on Thursday announced to sign Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan for the upcoming 2022 summer season after releasing former skipper Ben Brown on request.
After the signing, Rizwan will be available for the club from early April and will participate in the County Championship and T20 Blast.
Rizwan will join Sussex following Australia’s tour of Pakistan that concludes in early April.
Issuing a statement, the club said: “Sussex Cricket is extremely excited to announce the signing of Pakistani wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan for the majority of the 2022 season.”
On the other hand, an elated Rizwan said: “Dear Sussex Family, assalamu alaikum. I am absolutely honoured and excited to be a part of the historic Sussex County Cricket Club for the 2022 season. I have always heard great things about the Sussex community and this family club was always close to my heart.”
“In my heart, I know our young team has the potential to beat any team. Our strength lies in our hard work, honesty, deep commitment, and self-belief: we can win, we will win, and we will play like champions, no matter what! In shaa Allah, I look forward to a great season,” he added.
On the other hand, Ian Salisbury, Sussex’s Championship and One-Day Head Coach, said: “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t really disappointed to learn we’d be losing a player of Ben Brown’s quality. Now that has happened, though, we have to look forward and I’m delighted that we’ve been able to act quickly over the last week or so to secure the services of one of the world’s best keeper-batters as a replacement.”
“Mohammad’s first-class and Test records speak for themselves and it’s a huge coup to welcome him to Sussex for a big chunk of next season’s Championship. As well as his playing credentials, it’s clear from speaking to people like Mushy [Mushtaq Ahmed] and Saqlain [Mushtaq] that Mohammad will also be a wonderful addition to the dressing room. He and Travis [Head] are exactly the kind of experienced, international cricketers that our emerging lads can learn a huge amount from. Oli [Carter] has mentioned in the past how Mohammad is a big hero of his, so he is particularly excited. We all are, to be honest. It’s fantastic news and we can now get on with preparations for next summer with key positions filled,” he added.
Meanwhile, James Kirtley, Sussex’s T20 Head Coach, expressed: “Sussex are incredibly lucky to secure the services of Mohammad Rizwan. There is only a select number of players that have scored centuries in all three formats. On top of this he averages around 40 in all formats at an impressive strike rate. Couple this with his ability to keep wicket and he is one of the most exciting cricketers in the world. He will be an excellent replacement at the top of the order and with the gloves in our Blast team and I am extremely pleased to be filling that gap with an international player of his calibre.”
Earlier, Sussex had announced that it has agreed to Ben Brown’s request to be released from his contract with the club.
Notably, after graduating from the club’s youth pathway, Brown made his first team debut for Sussex in 2007. Since then, he has made 318 appearances across all formats, scoring 10,843 runs, taking 543 catches and executing 40 stumpings. Ben also captained Sussex in Championship and one-day cricket for four years after being appointed during the 2017 season.