A dramatic moment occurred during the ongoing Big Bash League 2025-26 (BBL 2025-26) clash between Melbourne Renegades and Sydney Thunder when Mohammad Rizwan was asked to stand down, leaving fans stunned at the Sydney Showground Stadium in Sydney on January 12.
Mohammad Rizwan shocked as Melbourne Renegades withdraw him in BBL 2025-26 clash
Melbourne Renegades captain Will Sutherland made the bold decision in the 18th over after Mohammad Rizwan struggled to get going and managed just 26 runs off 23 balls in a slow over that damaged his team’s momentum against the hosts, Sydney Thunder.
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The pressure had increased as the scoring rate dropped, and despite his reputation, the former Pakistan captain and seasoned keeper-batsman had to make this decision. Just before he was asked to leave, Rizwan finally hit a much-awaited six in the Big Bash League.
It was a rare big success in his BBL campaign as it took Rizwan eight innings and 152 balls to score a six in the tournament.
The Melbourne Renegades retired to Rizwan. pic.twitter.com/i1KxaPDNl5
– Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) January 12, 2026
Mohammad Rizwan’s BBL nightmare
Mohammad Rizwan’s debut season in the Big Bash League has not gone as planned with the Pakistani star struggling to find his rhythm for the Melbourne Renegades. He had chances, but he didn’t live up to his reputation. His figures tell of a difficult start.
His scores of 4, 32, 16, 6, 41, 21, 21 and 23 in his eight BBL 2025-26 innings have forced fans and pundits to question Rizwan’s role and impact with the bat for the Melbourne Renegades. He has already lost his place in the Pakistan T20I team, and now such low scores put him under immense pressure.
Will Sutherland’s shock call backfire as captain makes embarrassing escape
On the other hand, Will Sutherland’s decision to retire Mohammad Rizwan also backfired, and that too in a very bizarre way in the next season. Daniel Sams delivered a very full ball outside off stump. Hassan Khan tried to hit it, but the ball came straight back to the bowler.
Also Read: Wasim Akram EXPOSES Pakistani legends’ ugly scapegoating plot after humiliation against India
Daniel Sams reached out with his left hand and lightly touched the ball. At the same time, Sutherland was looking at the ball and had gone out of his territory without realizing it. Well, after hitting Sams hand, the ball went on and hit the stumps. Since Sutherland was out of his territory, he was eliminated.
Sutherland checked with Sams to confirm if he had touched the ball. Sams said ‘yes’, and the Melbourne Renegades captain returned to cover after facing just one delivery for one. Subsequent replays clearly showed that the ball had deflected off Sams’ hand before hitting the stumps.
Sydney Thunder need 91 runs from 54 balls to beat Melbourne Renegades
Talking about the match, the Renegades posted 170/8 on the board in their 20 overs against Thunder, with Hassan Khan top-scoring with 46 runs off 31 balls, while Josh Brown contributed 35 runs off 25 balls in the BBL 2025-26 clash.
David Willey, Ryan Hadley and Wes Agar scalped two wickets each for Thunder. Chasing the target, the hosts currently stand at 80/3 in 11 overs against the Renegades.
