[Exclusive] 'My best is yet to come' - CP Rizwan hopes for national comeback following impressive D50, county stint

Experienced UAE batter CP Rizwan recently revealed his ambitions of playing in the 2027 ODI World Cup, which will be held in South Africa. The 36-year-old has played 42 ODIs and 18 T20Is, scoring 948 and 323 runs, respectively.

Rizwan finished as the highest run-getter in the Emirates D50 2024 tournament, which ended on November 22. He scored 325 runs from five games at a mind-boggling average of 170.5 and a strike rate of 86.67. Under his leadership, Sharjah Bukhatir XI finished third on the points table. The Tellicherry-born hopes that his performance with the bat and as the skipper of the side will help him make a comeback to the national team.

"Very happy to be the leading on score in the Emirates D50 national competition, playing for Sharjah. I hope this will help me, you know, make a comeback to the national team. Basically, my goal is to play the World Cup, which is going to happen in South Africa, in 2027. So I'm working hard on that," CP Rizwan told exclusively to CricTracker.

Rizwan said that he has improved his fitness and skills by working hard in recent times. He asserted that he is looking forward to the challenges ahead.

"I've really worked hard on my fitness, my skills. I'm sure my best is yet to come. So looking forward for the upcoming challenges ahead," he added.

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County experience helped me get confident: Rizwan

Playing for Gloucestershire in the County Championship, Rizwan had an impressive time with the bat, and grabbed a lot of attention as he notched up three centuries. According to the cricketer, the county stint alongside an extravagant run in the Emirates D50 competition has helped him generate some confidence.

"I had a great season in the UK also, as I scored three hundreds over there. Playing as an overseas pro in a county for Gloucestershire. So I was playing Premier Division over there. So experience there definitely helped me. I scored an average of 170.5 in Emirates D50 and I also got wickets with bowling. So I'm really confident. I'm sure I can contribute more to the national team, and obviously play a big part in a lot of victories coming up," he concluded.