Coming from Shoaib Akhtar’s town, Mohammad Nawaz, a spinning allrounder, started as a left-arm medium-fast bowler, but his career took a different turn. Mohammad Nawaz’s story begins here, not in the glitzy glare of international cricket, but in the bare-boned practice sessions where the only currency was persistence. Long before he would play World Cups, Asia Cups, or take wickets at iconic venues, Nawaz was just another left-arm spinner with a battered kit bag and an appetite to make his deliveries turn the conversation in his favour.

Born on March 21, 1994, Nawaz’s journey into cricket carried both promise and struggle. His family background was modest, but his ambitions were not. In interviews, he has often spoken about how cricket was the escape, the way to dream beyond the streets of Rawalpindi. Like many young Pakistani cricketers, he rose through domestic cricket the hard way: grinding seasons for Rawalpindi in age-group cricket, and then for National Bank of Pakistan in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. It was here that his all-round abilities, left-arm orthodox bowling paired with measured lower-order batting, began to gain attention.

Nawaz’s breakout moment came in the 2016 Pakistan Super League. Drafted by Quetta Gladiators, he was largely an unknown name when the tournament began. But within a handful of matches, he was the buzzword of PSL 1. His ability to bowl with composure in the power play, stifling aggressive openers, was a revelation. That season, he picked up 13 wickets in 10 games, his best figures 4 for 13 against Islamabad United. It was a spell that made selectors sit up. Pakistan had long craved a left-arm spinner who could not just contain but also strike, and here was Nawaz doing it under pressure, in front of big crowds, against some of the finest T20 hitters in the world.

His rise into the Pakistan team was almost immediate. He made his T20I debut in February 2016 against the UAE in the Asia Cup. Nerves showed at first, but international cricket has a way of exposing young players quickly, and he grew into his role. Within months, he had his ODI and Test caps too, making him a three-format player in the same year.

In T20 Internationals, Nawaz had become a far more regular feature for a left-arm spinning allrounder. With the bat, his role was that of a floater: sometimes sent up the order to accelerate, other times held back to steady the ship. His strike rate in T20Is, above 130, reflects his ability to shift gears quickly. A particularly memorable moment was his cameo against India in the 2022 Asia Cup, where his 20-ball 42 shifted the momentum of the chase and etched his name into Pakistan-India folklore. That night, Nawaz wasn’t just a bowler who could bat; he was a match-winner.

The beauty of Nawaz’s cricket lies in his balance. He doesn’t rip through line-ups like a mystery spinner, nor does he smash sixes like a designated finisher. Instead, he plays the percentages, adapts to situations, and offers what captains value most: options. In T20s, captains trust him to bowl in the powerplay, control the middle overs, and still be around at the death with the bat. In ODIs, he lengthens the batting and provides spin backup. In Tests, though not yet cemented, he brings the promise of a second spinner who can hold an end and chip in with runs.

Of course, Nawaz’s career hasn’t been without its challenges. Injuries at crucial times and the presence of other spinners like Imad Wasim and Shadab Khan have often limited his chances. Yet he has found ways to stay relevant. His batting improvements, particularly his strike rotation and hitting against pace, have allowed selectors to view him as more than just a bowler. And his fitness standards have seen a steady rise, ensuring he can handle the demands of back-to-back series.

His story is, in many ways, reflective of modern Pakistani cricket: resilience in the face of competition, seizing opportunities when they come, and evolving constantly. From Rawalpindi’s dusty grounds to Asia Cup heroics, from PSL stardom to Test match spells, Nawaz’s career is stitched with threads of persistence.

For the boy who once bowled endlessly on rugged pitches, the journey has already been extraordinary. But for the man Pakistan relies on today, the next few years could be the defining chapter. In Mohammad Nawaz, Pakistan has not just a spinner, not just a batter, but a cricketer who embodies adaptability. And in the modern game, that might just be the most valuable skill of all.

(As of August 2025)