The inspiring journey of CP Rizwan - Kerala’s first ODI centurion bids adieu

By K.R. Nayar

Dubai. There was a time when Kerala cricketers never got a mention in the international arena. There was also a time when the Kerala team barely ever won more than one match in a Ranji Trophy season. However, that’s not the case now. Today, Kerala are the finalists of the Ranji Trophy. Only a few like Tinu Yohannan, S. Sreesanth, and Sanju Samson could make it to the Indian team from Kerala. For the rest, it was just a dream to play international cricket. Chundangapoyil Puthiyapurayil Rizwan, popularly known as CP Rizwan, who announced his retirement from international cricket on September 2, 2025, is a cricketer from Kerala who chased a near-impossible dream and left his mark in international cricket.

(This is my exclusive interview with Rizwan for India's leading media portal Rediff) https://www.rediff.com/cricket/special/c-p-rizwan-malayalee-who-captained-uaes-cricket-team/20250905.htm. 

 

CP Rizwan... a dream journey 

Rizwan’s journey embodies the timeless truth behind proverb: “If there is a will, there is a way.” He believed that even if one door is closed and the future looks bleak, it can be made colourful through determination and intelligence. Hailing from the small town of Tellicherry, located in the northern part of Kerala, and the town from where cricket is said to have started in India during the British rule. History points out that Colonel Arthur Wellesley, who was commanding the East India Company’s army in Kerala in the 1790s, had introduced the game to the locals in Tellicherry. Rizwan made the cricket-crazy people there feel proud.

The day Rizwan received his international cap chasing his tough dream to became an international cricketer

Speaking exclusively to Rediff about his journey, Rizwan said, “I scored heavily in Kerala’s junior cricket (Under-19 and Under-23 teams) and got selected for the Kerala senior team. On a tour with the Kerala team to South Africa, I played a knock of 70 against Cape Town. I also scored 54 for the state against the All India Railways team. Since cricket hardly fetched a job or a regular income in those days, I took a break from the game to complete my Engineering degree. Armed with this degree, I came to the UAE in 2014 to look for job, but I refused to give up my dream of becoming an international cricketer.”

 

The moment he became the first Keralite to score an international century. Photos: UAE Cricket  

As a cricket journalist, I have followed Rizwan’s journey since 2014 mainly due to his top performances in domestic cricket. I would regularly feature him in my weekly column that appeared in the local daily that I worked for. “I had to wait patiently for my dream because those days one had to complete four years of residence in the UAE to be eligible for selection into the UAE team. All through the waiting period, I worked hard to sharpen my skills despite having to work from 9 am to 6 pm to earn a living. I played cricket every night and on weekends without a break, and I bagged UAE’s seven top awards in domestic cricket. I topped almost every tournament and match during those four years. And then, on January 26, 2019, my dream to play international cricket became a reality when I was picked for an ODI against Nepal. Five days later, I made my T20 International debut too,” he recalled.

 

Rizwan’s path to international cricket was paved by a team named after his hometown – Tellicherry Cricket Club. Soon after he was selected to play for the UAE, Rizwan told me: “I am grateful to the CTK brothers – CTK Nasir (who formed the Tellicherry Club and always opened the door for former Kerala players) and his brother CTK Mashood, a former Kerala player turned coach. It was my top performance for the Tellicherry Club and later for the Yogi Group that caught the selectors’ attention.”

 

Rizwan's overflowing cupboard with trophies 

But this fighter cricketer refused to be content with just becoming an international cricketer. In 2021, during a four-match international series against Ireland, he scored 109 to steer UAE to a six-wicket win. He earned the honour of becoming the first Keralite to score a century in international cricket. “My home town celebrated my achievement by decorating the streets with banners and posters that carried my photograph,” he said proudly. They also gave him a huge reception when he returned home. Having trailed him through his UAE journey, I was also delighted at his achievement. He created a collage of my stories about him and had it framed. Incidentally, Sanju Samson’s maiden century came only two years later in December 2023.

 

Rizwan's home town celebrates his achievement with posters around the city

What followed for Rizwan is also an example of how cricket rewards those who work hard to achieve the impossible. In 2022, Rizwan was named captain of the UAE team for the Asia Cup qualifiers, thereby becoming the first Keralite to lead an international team. 

The Bukhatir family too backed his dreams. In fact, he worked for Eastern International, owned by Abdulrehman Bukhatir, as an engineer. “I am thankful to Khalaf Bukhatir and Waleed Bukhatir (sons of Abdulrehman Bukhatir) who both ensured I was given enough time to train and play matches.” In the process, he also sharpened his skills as a leg spinner.

 

A collage of my stories about Rizwan which he framed 

Rizwan then went on to attain another feat. He captained the UAE in the T20 World Cup in 2022 and gifted the UAE their first win in a T20 World Cup match, over Namibia. He went on to play 42 ODIs and 18 T20Is. 

 

Rizwan receiving  the  Bukhatir league Player of the tournament award from Khalaf Bukhatir 

Today, Rizwan is a facilities maintenance officer in the Emirates Airlines Engineering Department. While walking away from international cricket, the 37-year-old cricketer said: “My love for cricket will never end. I end my international career with a heavy heart, but I feel proud of what I have achieved. God has been kind to me, and it has been a great journey.”

CP Rizwan as UAE captain after a toss with Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan