PESHAWAR
\nMuhammad Riazullah\u2013 a middle-order batter \u2013 is expected to be a vital cog in the Pakistan line-up at the ICC U19 World Cup in South Africa. Hailing from Upper Dir, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the young right-handed batter had to overcome all odds to materialize his dream of playing cricket professionally.
\nRiazullah made the decision to move to Peshawar at a very early age to pursue cricket. At first, his parents were reluctant with his decision before he won over their support with his passion and commitment.
\n\u201cUpper Dir had limited facilities, so I had to move to Peshawar,\u201d he told PCB Digital. \u201cMy family did not want me to move but I promised that I would focus on my education while pursuing cricket.\u201d
\nHowever, moving to Peshawar brought more struggles for Riazullah. \u201cWe were struggling financially at the time as my brother had cancer. My father was a schoolteacher and most of his salary would be directed towards my brother\u2019s treatment. When my coaches learnt about my financial constraints, they supported me by significantly reducing my fee.\u201d
\nIn 2018, Riazullah began playing club cricket in Peshawar \u2013 his first foray into professional cricket. In the subsequent year, he featured in the PCB-organised U13 regional tournament.
\nRiazullah came into the limelight with his performance in the 2021-22 National U16 Cup, where he represented Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Whites U16 and topped the batting charts with 419 runs in six games, including a century and four half-centuries.
\nIn the 2023-24 National U19 Cup, Riazullah finished as the tournament\u2019s second-highest run-getter. Playing for Abbottabad U19, he registered two centuries in four games and earned a call-up to the national U19 team for the home series against Sri Lanka U19. Riazullah also starred with a match-winning half-century against Afghanistan U19 in the ACC U19 Asia Cup 2023.
\nCiting Babar Azam as his inspiration, Riazullah hopes to emulate the dynamic batter in his career. He sees the upcoming U19 World Cup as the perfect opportunity to prove himself.
\nRiazullah said: \u201cI have worked hard with the coaches to prepare for South African conditions. It is a big honour to represent Pakistan at the U19 World Cup. Previously, Upper Dir\u2019s Kamran Ghulam represented Pakistan U19 and it was a great feeling for the entire town. I want to make everyone in my family and in my town proud the same way.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
PESHAWAR Muhammad Riazullah\u2013 a middle-order batter \u2013 is expected to be a vital cog in the Pakistan line-up at the ICC U19 World Cup in South Africa. Hailing from Upper Dir, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the young right-handed batter had to overcome all odds to materialize his dream of playing cricket professionally. Riazullah made the decision to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-381718","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n