Mohammad Nawaz

Mohammad Nawaz is a Pakistani international cricketer who represents his country across multiple formats. He earned a central contract from the Pakistan Cricket Board for the 2018–19 season as one of 33 selected players.

Early life and education

Nawaz was born on 21 March 1994 in Rawalpindi, Punjab. His family is Pashtun and belongs to Akbarpura, which is a village located in the Nowshera district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He attended F.G. Boys School in Rawalpindi to receive his early education.

He is a multilingual individual. Nawaz speaks English, Urdu, Punjabi and Pashto.

Career

Nawaz has participated in domestic cricket for several teams including Rawalpindi, Northern, Baluchistan and the National Bank of Pakistan. He served as the vice-captain of the Baluchistan squad during the 2018 Pakistan Cup. During that specific tournament, he finished as the leading wicket-taker for the team with 9 wickets in 4 matches. In January 2021, he was appointed as the captain of Northern for the 2020–21 Pakistan Cup.

His franchise career began when Quetta Gladiators signed him for the inaugural 2016 Pakistan Super League. He earned the player-of-the-match award in the tournament opener against Islamabad United by taking 4 wickets for 13 runs. He concluded the 2016 season with 13 wickets and was retained by Quetta for the 2017 season. After being released by Quetta ahead of the 2023 PSL Draft, he signed with Karachi Kings as a wild-card pick.

He has also competed in various international leagues. He played for the Balkh Legends in the 2018 Afghanistan Premier League and the Edmonton Royals in the 2019 Global T20 Canada. He was a member of the Cape Town Blitz during the 2019 Mzansi Super League. Additionally, he signed with the Rajshahi Royals for the 2019–20 BPL and helped the team reach the final.

Nawaz made his Twenty20 International debut against the United Arab Emirates on 29 February 2016 during the Asia Cup. Following this debut, head coach Waqar Younis criticized captain Shahid Afridi for calling Nawaz to bowl, stating it was unfair and destroyed the youngster's confidence. He later debuted in One Day Internationals against Ireland on 18 August 2016, where he scored a half-century. His Test debut occurred on 13 October 2016 against the West Indies in Dubai.

His international career includes several notable milestones. In July 2022, he recorded his first five-wicket haul in Test cricket during a match against Sri Lanka. He was an essential part of Pakistan's record win against India in September 2022 during the Asia Cup. During the UAE T20I Tri-series in September 2025, he took a five-wicket haul that included a hat-trick to bowl out Afghanistan for 66 runs. In February 2026, he delivered a career-best bowling performance of 5 for 18 against Australia in Lahore.

Personal life

Nawaz married Izdihaar in 2018. She is a South African diagnostic radiographer of Saudi Arabian descent.

Awards and recognition

He has received numerous individual honors throughout his career. He was named man of the match in the final of the 2016–17 National T20 Cup. During the September 2022 Asia Cup match against India, he was named Player of the Match for his all-round contributions. In the September 2025 UAE T20I Tri-series, he was adjudged both Player of the Match and Player of the Series.

Nawaz also earned Player of the Match honors in February 2026. This occurred during Pakistan's 111-run victory over Australia in Lahore.