Aliya Riaz is an all-rounder who plays for Pakistan women’s cricket team. She has represented Pakistan in ODI and T20I forms of the game. Right-handed batter and an occasional medium-pace bowler, Riaz made her international debut in the ODI series against Australia in 2014. In her debut match, she was unimpressive with the bat, scoring just 4 runs and struggled to cope with the pace and bounce offered at Gabba. In the T20I leg of that series, the Rawalpindi-born all-rounder made her debut in the shortest form of the game, and just like her ODI debut, she looked clueless in the T20I game and could only manage to score a single run in the match. In October 2018, Riaz was named in the Pakistan squad for the 2018 ICC Women’s World T20 tournament in West Indies. She finished the tournament as the leading wicket-taker for Pakistan with 6 dismissals in four matches. In December 2020, the pinch-hitter from Punjab was shortlisted as one of the Women’s Cricketer of the Year for the 2020 PCB Awards. As compared to ODI’s, Riaz has performed better in the shortest form of the game. More than pace, she relies on her line and length to deceive the opposition player. The star pacer from Pakistan still has to work on her batting which has been her downfall over the last few years now. (As of April 2021)
