Aliya Riaz

International career

Aliya Riaz has been part of Pakistan’s women's cricket team since 2014. She has played in major tournaments and delivered strong performances, especially in ODIs and T20s.

• 2014 – Debut in an ODI against Australia in Brisbane.
• 2018 – Joined Pakistan’s squad for the ICC Women's World Twenty20 in the West Indies. She took six wickets in four matches, the highest in the team.
• 2020 – Played in the ICC Women's T20 World Cup in Australia. Later, she was shortlisted for the Women's Cricketer of the Year at the PCB Awards.
• 2021 – Competed in the Women's Cricket World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe. Scored 48 runs from 58 balls against Zimbabwe.
• 2022 – Selected for the Women's Cricket World Cup in New Zealand. In May, included in Pakistan’s squad for the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. From 2021 onward, she became the leading run-scorer in ODI matches from the lower middle order, with 382 runs.
• 2024 – Named in the squad for the ICC Women's T20 World Cup. Played in the first women's ODI between England and Pakistan in Derby on 23 May and took the wicket of Heather Knight. On 11 October, scored 26 runs from 32 balls against Australia in the T20 World Cup.

Despite her contributions, Aliya Riaz and former captain Nida Dar were left out of PCB’s centrally contracted players list for the 2024-25 season. The board decided to focus on younger cricketers.

Leagues Participation

She has not played in any league yet. Some reports have suggested the possibility of her participation in the Women’s Premier League 2025 season, but there is no official confirmation.

Domestic career

Aliya Riaz started playing domestic cricket in 2010. She took part in the PCB National Under-19 Women’s Championship for Rawalpindi Under-19s. Her List A debut happened in 2014 during the Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah Women Cricket Championship Seniors.

She played both cricket and badminton in college but decided to focus on cricket. Strong batting in Under-19 trials helped her join Rawalpindi’s regional team. Later, she moved to Lahore. At first, she focused on batting, but later, she began bowling medium pace.

In 2014, she scored 156 runs for Lahore in the National Women's Cricket Championship. After that, she was selected for Pakistan’s T20I and ODI squads against Australia. Over the years, she played for Rawalpindi, Lahore, and the State Bank of Pakistan. Then she joined the Federal Capital team. She is now the captain of the State Bank of Pakistan women's cricket team.

In 2020, she led PCB Blasters to a win over PCB Dynamites in the National Triangular Women's T20 Cricket Championship. She scored 27 runs from 28 balls in that match.

Later, she played for the Dynamites in the Pakistan Cup Women's Cricket Tournament in 2023. She took three wickets and scored 19 runs in five overs against the Blasters.

On 29 January 2024, she scored a century in the National Women's T20 Cricket Tournament. Her innings helped Rawalpindi reach 182/4 at Shoaib Akhtar Cricket Stadium. She was named Player of the Day for her performance.

Records and achievements

Aliya Riaz has earned several awards and set important records in cricket.

• In December 2020, she was among the nominees for the Best Female Cricketer of the Year at the PCB Awards.
• Her highest score in domestic cricket is 156 runs. She reached this in the 2014 National Women's Cricket Championship.
• On 29 January 2024, she scored 100 runs without losing her wicket in the National Women's T20 Tournament 2023-2024.
• In 2021, she received the Women's Sportswoman of the Year award for her performances at the ICC Women's T20 World Cup in Australia.
• She also won the Woman Emerging Cricketer of the Year trophy in 2021.

Personal life

Aliya Riaz is a Pakistani cricketer with a strong career and a growing fan base.

Family

In 2024, she married Ali Younis. He worked as a banker before becoming a cricket commentator. His older brother, Waqar Younis, played international cricket for Pakistan.

Finances

Different sources estimate her net worth between $1-5 million. She earned this money through her cricket career.

Scandals

In 2019, during a National Triangular One-day Women's Cricket Championship match, she disagreed with an umpire's decision. This led to a 15% fine from her match fee. Her teammate, Najiha Alvi, also received an official warning.

In November 2024, reports mentioned that she and Nida Dar lost their PCB central contracts. Some sources pointed to a drop in performance, while others suggested problems inside the team.

Fans

Aliya Riaz has a loyal following. A fan dedicated a rap song to her and posted it on YouTube. Around 42,000 people follow her on Instagram.