Pakistan vs India Asia Cup 2025

 

Pakistan will find it extremely tough against India in their group match of the Asia Cup. Not only Pakistan's batting will be tested but also their so called champion bowlers will be tested as well. Pakistan's batting needs a lot to be desired as they scored a modest 160 for 7 against an associate team Oman.

Only Sahibzada Farhan, Muhammad Haris and Fakhar Zaman played a substantial innings against Oman while the rest disappointed. They should have scored atleast 200 runs against minnows Oman instead they ended with only 160 runs on board on a batting pitch.  These signs are not good in batting playing against India as india usually scores huge totals.

In the end what I would like to say is that it will take a major miracle if Pakistan are to beat this Indian team in Asia Cup 2025.

Pakistan wins the Tri nation series UAE 2025

Pakistan against all expectations and predictions won the twenty20 International UAE tri nation series 2025 by defeating Afghanistan in the final by a convincing margin of 75 runs. No one expected this final to be such a one sided affair and in fact Afghanistan looked favourites to win the title after they restricted Pakistan to 141 for 8 in their innings. No one expected Afghanistan to not even give a fight and collapse to 66 runs all out. 

Mohammad Nawaz bowled the spell of his life to take 5 wickets and in this way played a key role in dismissing Afghanistan to 66 all out. He not only shone with the ball but also with the bat scoring 25 runs which helped Pakistan to a total of 141. 

Pakistan were ruthless with the ball and didnt allow the Afghan batsmen to comeback in the game. Not only Muhammad Nawaz but also Abrar Ahmed and Sufiyan Muqeem chipped in with two wickets apiece.

In the end what I would like to say is that Pakistan is looking good to finish at least as runners up in the Asia Cup to follow.  

Pakistan vs Afghanistan final tri nation series 2025 preview

 

Pakistan and Afghanistan are two evenly matched sides with equal abilities. Here the toss will play an important role in determining the eventual winner of the final as the  team that bats first has won every match in this tournament so far. 

Afghanistan seem to be having a little edge over Pakistan mentally, strategically and ability wise too. Their strategy of starting slow with wickets in hand seems to pay a lot of dividends as they gradually get to a match winning total.  Whereas Pakistan's strategy of all out attack right from the beginning of their innings in batting is too risky and unfruitful.

In Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran they have reliable openers who almost always give them a flying start. In Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi and Noor Ahmad they have unplayable spinners. so in this way Pakistan will be facing a formidable team like Afghanistan in the final.

In the end what i would like to say is that it will take a minor miracle and something extraordinary from Pakistan to win this final against Afghanistan.  

Pakistan vs Afghanistan match 4 of trination series 2025

 

Pakistan were outclassed by Afghanistan by 18 runs in the fourth match of the UAE tri nation series 2025. Pakistan team although is as talented as Afghanistan do not follow the right strategy of maintaining high strike rates giving strike rate more importance than winning the match itself.. In this match in particular in order to score at a high run rate Pakistani batsmen got themselves out instead of keeping in wickets in hand just like the Afghans did in their innings of building partnership.

Afghanistan were slow early in their innings but when they started a partnership they had momentum in their hands and from then on they grew in confidence increasing the run rate. Their innings in batting was much more sensible than that of Pakistan. Pakistan need Babar Azam in their team who is the only sensible batsman in Pakistani cricket.

In the end what I would like to say is that Pakistan will find it tough to beat Afghanistan in the Final of this tournament.

Pakistan vs Afghanistan match 1 of tri nation series 2025

 

Well Pakistan is an unpredictable team and they cant be in a trough for too long. They brushed aside recent form to defeat Afghanistan by 39 runs in the first match of the trination series 2025. Although Rashid Khan, mohammad Nabi and mujeeb ur Rahman were unplayable at times Pakistani batsmen targeted the Afghan pacemen namely Farooqi, Fareed and Omarzai. This strategy worked as Pakistan piled up a decent total of 182 runs against them.

Afghanistan batting as compared to their bowling is weak with only Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Rashid Khan with ability to strike the ball hard rest of the batting is pretty ordinary in terms of strike rate. So if Pakistan can overcome Afghanistan's bowling they are always favourites to win. Pakistani selectors are right to drop Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan as both bat too slowly in Twenty20 cricket.

In the end what I would like to say is that Pakistan and Afghanistan should play the final of this tournament. 

Pakistan, Afghanistan, UAE tri nations series

 

Well the overwhelming favourites for the trination series twenty20 tournament is not Pakistan but Afghanistan. Afghanistan is a dangerous side given that they were one of the semi finalists in last year's twenty20 world cup in 2024 and they are in form as compared to Pakistan and UAE. Afghanistan have a dangerous bowling line up with spinners like Rashid Khan, Mujeeb ur Rahman, and Mohammad Nabi. In fast bowling they have Fazal ul Haq Farooqi and in batting they have swashbuckling opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz.

Pakistan on the otherhand couldnt defeat Bangladesh in their home conditions losing to Bangladesh 2-1 a side that just recently lost to UAE 2-1. Also Sharjah pitches suit Afghanistan more than they suit Pakistan. Pakistan's batting is unreliable and their bowlers do have an off day from time to time. I hope they dont miss Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan in their batting.

In the end what I would like to say is that not only Afghanistan but even UAE will prove to be tough opponents for Pakistan.

Shoaib Malik - A match winning all rounder

 

If there was any match winner in Pakistan cricket except from Inzamam ul Haq it has to be Shoaib Malik. Shoaib Malik was an expert in finishing matches for Pakistan resulting in Pakistan's victories. He would often come in tough situations and win the match with the bat for Pakistan.

In 2008 Shoaib Malik was captain of Pakistan cricket team which won the Kitply cup in Bangladesh defeating India in the final. He also led Pakistan to runners up position in the 2007 inaugural Twenty20 world Cup losing to India in the final.   As a player he played an important role in Pakistan's victories in 2009 Twenty20 World Cup and ICC champions trophy in 2017.

In 2021 World Cup of Twenty20 he last played a significant role in Pakistan cricket by helping Pakistan to reach the semi finals of that World Cup. He was never selected to play for Pakistan again after that Twenty20 World cup. His career lasted more than twenty years. 

In the end what i would like to say is that given the potential that Shoaib malik had he underachieved somewhat not playing upto his true potential.

Pakistan vs West indies 3rd ODI 2025

 

Pakistan have been crushed by West indies by 202 runs in the third ODI 2025. Have to admit ability wise and planning wise West indies were the better side. On a tricky pitch they consolidated keeping wickets in hand and once the bowling was tired they smashed Pakistan to all parts of the ground to pile up a huge total of 294 runs.

This total was always beyond Pakistan given the bowling friendly pitch which turned square right from the beginning and Jayden Seales bowling. I think the main difference between the two sides was Jayden Seales bowling and Shai Hope's batting. Both Muhammad Rizwan and Babar Azam are out of form that's why we lost the ODI series 2-1 to West Indies. Also in bowling we should have played Shaheen Afridi and Sufyan Muqeem in all the three ODI's .

In the end what I would like to say is that West Indies although ranked 10th were the better ODI side as compared to Pakistan as West Indies team contained more match winners than the Pakistan cricket team.

Pakistan vs West indies 2nd ODI 2025

 

Pakistan have been defeated by 5 wickets in the second ODI against West indies. Both West Indies although ranked 10th and Pakistan ranked 4th are equally talented and equally matched teams. Pakistan were unlucky they lost the toss as the trend in this ODI series shows that who so ever wins the toss wins the match by batting second.

Pakistan took a  Conservative approach to batting and played a lot of dot balls just like teams in the 1980's used to do. Modern day cricket requires a more proactive approach and an attacking approach to batting playing 360 degree shots all over the ground. Pakistan doesnt play with the modern day approach to batting.

Also never disturb a winning combination and I think Pakistan should have stuck with the same team as they played in the first ODI.

In the end what I would like to say is that if Pakistan finds it hard to compete against a low ranked team like West indies then I am sorry to say Pakistan cannot compete against the top ranked teams like Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, England and India.             

Pakistan vs West Indies 3rd Twenty20 2025

 

Pakistan won the Third Twenty20 by 13 runs to win the series 2-1 against West Indies. This result was always in doubt as Pakistan were beaten in Bangladesh and West Indies is a much stronger team than Bangladesh also West Indies are the two time Twenty20 World Champions winning the ICC Twenty20 World Cup in 2012 and 2016 respectively.

THis time Pakistan while batting made sure that they kept wickets in hand before going all out to hit it out in the death overs. This strategy worked as Pakistan put up a decent total of 189 runs on board. Sufiyan Muqeem and Haris Rauf were able to contain the West Indian batsmen and were the stars with the ball. I still think Hasan Ali is well past his prime and Shaheen Afridi should play regularly for Pakistan.

In the end what I would like to say is that Pakistan slowly but surely are making a comeback in Twenty20 Internationals.

Pakistan vs West indies 2nd twenty20 2025

 

Pakistan lost a match they should have won by 2 wickets against West Indies in the second twenty20 match. Pakistan should have won when West Indies needed a minor miracle that is three runs off the last ball to win but Jason Holder had other ideas as he hit a four. Clearly the main difference between the two teams in the first two Twenty20 internationals has been Jason Holder's all round ability with both bat and ball. Jason Holder is the only match winner in the West Indian side. 

We are clearly missing Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan in our batting in Twenty20 cricket and the selectors should select both sooner rather than later. Also Hasan Ali's bowling was the reason why we lost this match. Haris Rauf is always a better choice than Hasan Ali.

In the end what I would like to say is that if we cannot beat weak teams like West Indies and Bangladesh then how can you expect Pakistan to compete against top cricket playing nations.

World Championship of Legends

 

In the world championship of legends Pakistan is doing pretty well infact winning three consecutive matches now. In the previous edition of WCL in 2024 Pakistan finished runners up and in this edition of the tournament they are in the verge of reaching the semi finals.

Pakistan have defeated England, South Africa and West Indies so far in the WCL 2025. The England match was much closer as Pakistan could put only 160 for 9 on board but their bowlers contained and restricted England Champions to 155 for 3 hence  Pakistan won by 5 runs. On the otherhand Pakistan came with convincing victories against South Africa and West Indies. This Pakistan team is an excellent all round team.

In the end what I would like to say is that Pakistan Champions would be very hard to beat throughout the remainder of the tournament.   

Pakistan vs Bangladesh 1st Twenty20 2025

 

Pakistan have been thrashed by 7 wickets in the first Twenty20 2025 by Bangladesh in Bangladesh home series. Pakistan are clearly missing the services of Babar Azam in their batting and Shaheen Afridi in their bowling.I think Pakistan cricket team needs both Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi in their team if they are to be formidable in this format of the game.  Pakistan selected a novice bowling line up for this series and if their batting fails like in this match they are sure to lose.

How can a bowling line up comprising of bowling all rounders like Faheem Ashraf and Abbas Afridi and novice bowlers like Salman Mirza contain the Bangladeshi batsmen. Amongst the batsmen in world cricket no one is world class in the Pakistani batting line up except for Babar Azam and Pakistan should select Babar Azam regardless of his form in all formats of this game that also includes Twenty20 format.

In the end what I would like to say is that Pakistan were beaten in the first twenty20 because of the pitch in Mirpur.

can Pakistan compete against top cricket playing nations

 

On paper Pakistan cricket team definitely has ability and potential to compete against the top cricketing nations but their performance suggests that they cannot compete against major test playing nations. Our recent performance with the exception of Champions trophy tournament in 2025 in ODI cricket was good.. All that nose dived when we were whitewashed against New Zealand on their recent tour of New zealand 3-0.

Iin test cricket we havent defeated top cricketing nations like Australia, New Zealand and South Africa in recent times. Our winning graph goes down whenever we play these teams. Part of the reason for such performance in test cricket against these teams are our technique and temperament. In twenty20 cricket also we havent defeated the major teams  in recent times.

In the end what I would like to say is that Pakistan would have to change their style of cricket in accordance with modern day cricket in order to compete against the top sides in the world. 

Pakistan tour of Bangladesh 2025

 

Pakistan will be touring Bangladesh for a series of three Twenty20 internationals starting from 20 th July. Pakistan are favourites this time but not overwhelming favourites as Bangladesh are the hosts this time and they have home advantage. Also injuries to Shadab Khan and Haris Rauf is a big blow to Pakistan's chances.

Pakistan have a formidable opening pair infact they have a superb three upper order batsmen in Saim ayub, Fakhar Zaman and Mohammad Haris. Each of these players play with great strike rates which is a prequisite in Twenty20 cricket. In bowling they have Abrar Ahmed, Abbas Afridi and Faheem Ashraf forming a decent bowling attack that can contain Bangladeshi batsmen. 

In the end what I would like to say is that Bangladeshi cricket team is fully capable of causing an upset or two in this twenty20 series.

Pakistan vs Bangladesh 3rd Twenty20 International 2025

Pakistan achieved what they wanted to achieve that is 3-0 whitewash of Bangladesh in the twenty20 international series in Lahore. The 3rd twenty20 international was a lot closer as compared to the first two twenty20 internationals with Bangladesh piling up a huge total of 196 runs in their allotted twenty overs.

Although Sahibzada Farhan went early , Muhammad Haris and Saim Ayub kept up the momentum and kept themselves abreast the run rate of 10 runs an over to easily chase Bangladesh's total of 196 runs with plenty of overs to spare and by 7 wickets.

Throughout the series Muhammad Haris showed a lot of potential and he has easily taken Muhammad Rizwan's place in the twenty20 team. Muhammad Haris bats with a better strike rate than Muhammad Rizwan and is a bit of a dasher. In twenty20 cricket we need a batsmen like Muhammad  Haris who can bat with better strike rates.

In the end what I would like to say is that Pakistan shouldnt get complacent after just one series win in twenty20  against Bangladesh and they need to be consistent. 

Pakistan 's performance in World Test Championship (2023-2025)

 

Pakistan' s  performance in 2023-2025 World Test Championship was pathetic to say the least. Out of 10 test matches played in this test championship cycle Pakistan won just 4 and lost 6 test matches giving them a negative win/loss ratio and finishing last at the bottom of the test championship table. They finished even below West Indies which is a team which ranks below them in ICC test rankings that indicates their bad performance. 

After winning the series against England at home 2-1 a lot was expected of Pakistan cricket team that they would whitewash West Indies 2-0 in the test series at home in Multan. Instead West Indies drew the test series 1-1 with them after preparing a sharp turner of a pitch which back fired as Pakistan's own batsmen couldn't cope with the spin of Warrican.

In the end I would like to congratulate South African cricket team as they won the ICC World test championship title 2023-2025 defeating Australia in the final to win only their second ICC title the first being ICC knockout tournament in 1998 under Hansie Cronje's captaincy. 

Pakistan is a proud cricketing nation

 

Pakistan has achieved so much in cricket in its national history that i rate cricket is now Pakistan's national sport instead of hockey. We are a cricket mad nation and the craze we show in this sport is hardly witnessed in any other sport. People of all segments of society may it be rich and poor and of all age groups are absolutely crazy about this sport.

Pakistan has also been very successful nation with positive winning percentage in all three formats of the game that is test, odi, twenty20. In test matches Pakistan have won 150 matches and lost 146 matches. In ODI's Pakistan have won 519 matches and lost 430 matches. In Twenty20 International's Pakistan have won 144 matches and lost 98 matches. These statistics are updated to upto 24th December 2024.

In the end what I would like to say is that Pakistan has always been talented in cricket throughout his history. 

Pakistan vs Bangladesh - First two twenty20 internationals 2025

 

Pakistan outclassed Bangladesh by 37 runs in the first Twenty20 and they defeated Bangladesh by 57 runs in the second twenty20 international. Pakistan is proving to be much superior than  Bangladesh and Bangladesh is proving to be no match to the Pakistan cricket team. Talent wise too Bangladesh is much inferior to Pakistan cricket team.

Pakistani batsmen are playing their shots right from the first ball which is refreshing change in the Pakistan cricket team brought in by new coach Mike Hesson's tactics. Mike Hesson has brought positive changes in the Pakistan cricket team like aggressive batting and aggressive bowling. We lacked aggression in our cricket especially in our batting when Aaqib Javed was our coach.

In the end what i would like to say is that Mike Hesson's tenure as Pakistan's coach has begun well.

Quetta favourites to win PSL

 

After Karachi got knocked out of the tournament my favourite team is now Quetta Gladiators. Quetta is a superb all round team with hardly any weak player or any weakness. Since Vivian Richards is there as their mentor who is a legend and all time great. I have full hopes that Quetta can pull of a win in the Final. 

Their opponents are likely to be either Lahore Qalandars or Islamabad united in the final. Both Lahore Qalandars  and Islamabad United are tough opponents with both teams having equally set of champion cricketers. But I prefer Lahore Qalandar's as Quetta's opponents as Islamabad United are too ruthless as a team. 

Quetta Gladiators have many match winners like Finn Allen, Hassan Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Abrar Ahmed and Muhammad Amir in their team and they will be very tough to beat in the Final.

In the end what I would like to say is that on paper Quetta Gladiators are looking a very strong team indeed.

Bangladesh tour of Pakistan 2025

 

Pakistan are the overwhelming favourites to beat Bangladesh in this twenty20 international tour of Pakistan by Bangladesh. I am saying this because Bangladesh's recent twenty20 record of late isnt good. Bangladesh have lost to associate teams like USA and UAE by identical margins of 2-1 and are currently not in form. Pakistan on the otherhand are playing at full strength and hopefully though should be able to whitewash Bangladesh in this twenty20 series 3-0 although Pakistan are not in good form of late themselves. 

With the return of Fakhar Zaman and Saim Ayub Pakistan will be strengthened in the top order. Hassan Nawaz has also shown a lot of promise. While the return of Hassan Ali is an encouraging sign too. Therefore on paper Pakistan looks much better than Bangladesh and they should be able to beat Bangladesh easily. Although with the recent results going by Bangladesh can cause an upset or two.

In the end what i would like to say is that Pakistan is looking like a formidable side in front of Bangladesh. 

Karachi kings make it to the playoffs

 

Karachi Kings make it to the playoffs after defeating Peshawar Zalmi. This was the first time since 2021 that Karachi Kings have made it to the playoffs. Their success this season very much owes to David Warner who has been an inspirational leader and who has led Karachi Kings from the front. James Vince, Irfan Khan Niazi and Khushdil Shah have been instrumental to Karachi Kings success.

Hassan Ali has shown great fight with the ball. Mir Hamza, Abbas Afridi and Khushdil Shah have been containing the opposition out to low totals. This shows Karachi has got strength with both bat and ball in their line up and will be hard to beat in the playoffs. They are currently second in this year's PSL table and need to beat Islamabad United to retain their spot in the final standings.

In the end what I would like to say is that Karachi Kings have the team to give a tough fight to any opposition they face in the playoffs.

Pakistan vs Australia - A head to head comparison

 

Australia generally speaking have always started as favourites whenever they faced Pakistan particularly in Australian conditions and especially in test matches. Such is the dominance of Australia over Pakistan in test match cricket that Pakistan has never won a test series on Australian soil. The last time Pakistan beat Australia in Australia was the Sydney test in 1995 under Wasim Akram's captaincy. In Pakistan's home tests versus Australia the last time they won a test series against Australia was 1-0 under Salim Malik's captaincy in 1994. That series too was controversial as Mark Waugh, Shane Warne and Tim May claimed that Salim Malik offered them bribes to under perform.

In ODI's the situation is slightly better with Pakistan winning the ODI series 2-1 as recently as last year in 2024 on Australian soil against Australia. In 2022 Pakistan have also won the bilateral ODI series in 2022 at home against Australia 2-1. 

In twenty20 internationals the gap between Australian and Pakistani teams becomes even narrower. With Pakistan winning equal number of matches against Australia in twenty20 internationals.

In the end what I would like to say is that Pakistan's performance against Australia in test matches need to improve as last time Pakistan beat Australia in a test series was 2018.

Comparison between Rashid Latif and Moin Khan

 

Both Rashid Latif and Moin Khan were great wicket keepers of my generation probably the best wicketkeepers ever to play the game for Pakistan. But i rate Moin khan as better wicket keeper especially when it comes to batting. 

Moin Khan rescued Pakistan from a number of tight situations and he also won us the 1992 Semi final against New Zealand by smashing that vital six when more than a run a ball was needed. Whereas we had disastrous World Cup compaigns in 1996 and 2003 World Cups with Rashid Latif as wicket keeper. Moin Khan also played a number of vital innings for Pakistan in 1999 World Cup scoring runs quickly which was required from him besides Wicket keeping neatly behind the stumps. In Asian test championship of 1999 in Kolkata he played a vital innings for Pakistan rescuing Pakistan from a precarious 26 for 6 position. 

Rashid Latif although a better wicket keeper for Pakistan couldnt match Moin khan's batting feats. Under Rashid Latif's wicket keeping Pakistan won the 2002 ODI series in Australia. He also kept wickets for Pakistan in successful England tours of 1992 and 1996. 

In the end what i would like to say is that since Moin Khan was a better match winner than Rashid Latif hence he was better than Rashid Latif.

Comparison between Pakistan's current team and Pakistani teams of the past

 

Pakistan teams of the 1990's and early 2000's were much more talented ability wise. In batting there was Saeed Anwar as an opener and Aamir Sohail. In bowling they had the finest bowlers with outstanding pace and movement in the form of World Class bowlers like Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Shoaib Akhtar. In the middle order we had world class talent with batsmen such as Inzamam ul Haq, Javed Miandad, Salim Malik and Ijaz Ahmed. In spin department we had World Class spinners like Saqlain Mushtaq and Mushtaq Ahmed. In wicket keepers we had some of the best wicket keepers like Rashid Latif and Moin Khan.

Whereas in the current team there is hardly any World Class player except for Babar Azam who is currently not in form. Saim Ayub is the only promising player in the current team but he too got injured and couldnt play the just recently concluded Champions Trophy. In bowling we have no reliable bowlers and all of them are being hit to all parts of the ground. 

In the end what I would like to say is that Pakistan cricket team's standard is declining and we can only live in Pakistan's past glory. 

Muhammad Amir should come out of retirement

 

Pakistan badly needs a bowler like Muhammad Amir in their bowling line up alongwith the likes of Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah.  PCB should better convince Muhammad Amir to play for Pakistan again. According to Shoaib Akhtar and other experts Muhammad Amir is the most intelligent bowler Pakistan has ever produced. Muhammad Amir still has plenty to offer the Pakistan team and is currently the best Pakistani fast bowler in recent times.

Brett Lee called Muhammad Amir as being thousand times better than Shaheen Afridi. Muhammad Amir can still swing the ball at high speeds something he used to do when he was young. PCB should keep politics out of sports and immediately select Muhammad Amir in the team. Muhammad Amir is the only bowler who knows how to bowl at the death overs an area Pakistan seems to be lacking in recent times especially in ODI's.

In the end what i would like to say is that Pakistan's performance will only be successful if Muhammad Amir comes out of retirement as he is a world class bowler. 

Quetta Gladiators the first team to qualify for playoffs

 

Quetta gladiators emerge as a strong team in this years PSL with hardly a weak player in their playing 11. Quetta Gladiators are now strong contenders for this years PSL title and most probably they will reach the final of this years PSL. Islamabad after winning 5 consecutive matches are in a losing streak as they have lost 4 consecutive matches in a row. Will Islamabad's losing streak continue.

Quetta have dependable openers in Finn Allen and Saud Shakeel. Combine the strong openers with the invincible batsmen like Hassan Nawaz, Rilee Rossouw and Mark Chapman their batting is very hard to contain. In Muhammad Amir and Abrar Ahmed they have got World Class bowlers. Keeping these players in mind I am convinced the other teams stand no chance of defeating Quetta Gladiators in this year's PSL. 

In the end what I would like to say is that PCB must convince Muhammad Amir to come out of retirement and play for Pakistan's national team. 

Karachi Kings have almost made it to the playoffs

 

Karachi Kings defeated Lahore Qalandars by 4 wickets to almost reach the playoffs but Peshawar Zalmi are still in the hunt as they are only a  win behind Karachi and I am not sure whether Karachi will beat Peshawar Zalmi in their match against them tomorrow. Irfan Khan Niazi is showing a lot of promise and talent for Karachi Kings and things look rosy for him whenever he plays for Pakistan again.

Peshawar Zalmi not only have a world class batsman like Babar Azam as their captain but they also have Saim Ayub who is a world class batsman and talented opener. In bowling they have Luke Wood and Ali Raza both of whom are dangerous bowlers. So Peshawar Zalmi wont be easy to beat and Karachi Kings will need to be at their best to beat them. 

In the end I would like to say is that Karachi Kings have definitely improved their performance in this year's PSL as compared to their previous three PSL seasons.

Karachi Kings close to play offs.

 

Karachi Kings have almost reached the playoffs with their win against Multan Sultan by 88 runs. It will take Peshawar Zalmi a mountain to climb and exceptional performances from them to reach the Playoffs in place of Karachi. Karachi has a good chance to seal their spot in playoffs when they meet Lahore Qalandars on Sunday. Karachi always start as favourites to beat their arch rivals Lahore and they will most probably beat them to reach the Playoffs atleast.

In Tim Seifert and David Warner Karachi Kings have got two destructive and dependable openers. James Vince has consistently being doing well with the bat for Karachi Kings. The bowling is also good of Karachi with the likes of Mir Hamza, Hassan Ali and Khushdil Shah. Their opponent in Lahore Qalandars are in pretty good form but I am quite sure Karachi will defeat them.

In the end what I would like to say is that if Karachi will do well in this tournament they will need to be consistent rather than unpredictable side which they are currently.    

Karachi Kings disappoint again against Quetta gladiators

 

Karachi Kings let go of a easy win against Quetta Gladiators to falter by 5 runs. Karachi kings having restricted Quetta gladiators to 142 runs should have won when they needed 60 runs off 60 balls with 8 wickets remaining in their innings.  Instead they collapsed spectacularly to lose by 5 runs damaging their chances of reaching Playoffs.

Karachi Kings shouldnt waste opportunities like this to win otherwise it will be very difficult for them to progress in this tournament. All the other teams with the exception of Multan Sultan look like they are in contention of the playoffs. Hassan Ali looks like the lone fighter with both bat and ball in the Karachi team with the rest of the Karachi kings team looking vulnerable to losing matches. 

In the end what i would like to say is that Karachi kings team lack killers instinct and they do not know how to finish games within their grasp. 

Islamabad United unbeaten run in PSL 2025 continues

 

Islamabad United appear as a very strong team in PSL 2025 and look like they will clinch the trophy this year also. Islamabad United have won the PSL most number of times that is thrice and are looking favourites to win the PSL for a fourth time. Islamabad team hardly has any weakness as they are outclassing the opposition in every department of the game. 

In batting Sahibzada Farhan is in the form of his life and is striking the ball to all parts of the ground. Then they have the inform Shadab Khan, Azam Khan and Salman Ali Agha in their batting line up. In bowling they have the pace of Jason Holder and Naseem Shah and the spin of Shadab Khan and Imad Wasim. Hence they look like a flawless team to me. 

In the end what I would like to say is that it will need something exceptional and special for the teams participating in PSL to beat this Islamabad team.

PSL vs IPL

 

the Indian Premier League although is much bigger and richer than PSL lacks quality and top class cricket that PSL provides. IPL although provides as much entertainment as PSL and is equally attractive and has the same atmosphere as PSL. IPL can be a bit of a drag and becomes boring after a few matches. On the otherhand PSL matches are more exciting, interesting and there are more closer games in PSL than IPL.

The quality of cricket especially in bowling and fielding is much better in PSL than in IPL. The local talent in bowling in PSL is also much better in PSL than in IPL. PSL bowlers are tougher, more accurate and more fast than IPL bowlers. So if Pakistan are to find any bowlers especially in fast bowling the selectors should witness PSL matches.  There are also more catches dropped in IPL than PSL.

In the end what I would like to say that Pakistani bowlers especially fast bowlers are more talented than Indian bowlers as can be seen by Peshawar Zalmi's talented bowler Ali Raza who is an emerging talent.

Muhammad Rizwan as Captain

 

I think Muhammad Rizwan should be replaced as captain of white ball teams by Shan Masood. Muhammad Rizwan although made a promising start to captaincy with ODI series wins over Australia, Zimbabwe and South Africa but his captaincy ever since has faded away. 

Muhammad Rizwan is found wanting and unimaginative as he doesnt come up with a strategy to overcome Pakistani death overs bowling problem. We are conceding too many runs in the last fifteen overs of an ODI that's why we are losing so many ODI's of late. His field placements and bowling changes needs a lot of improvement. Also his selection of the final playing 11 needs a lot to be desired. 

In the end what I would like to say is that make Shan Masood as captain of all formats of the game and that decision will take a lot of pressure out of Muhammad Rizwan both as wicket keeper and a batsman.

my favourite PSL team

 

my favourite PSL team has always been the Karachi Kings right from PSL s inception from 2016 onwards. Karachi Kings have won the PSL just once before and I am hoping Karachi win this years PSL too. Karachi kings won the 2020 PSL title after defeating Lahore Qalandars in the final. Lahore Qalandars are Karachi Kings arch rivals and Karachi kings won most of the matches against them in PSL. 

Karachi Kings this year have a good all round team. In batting they have one of the best openers in David Warner and Tim Seifert. In their middle order they have the inform James Vince. and Khushdil Shah who seems to bat like Micheal Bevan used to do for Australia. In bowling they have Hassan Ali who is bowling superbly in this year's PSL and not to forget the kiwi pacer Adam Milne.

In the end what i would like to say is that Karachi Kings will In Sha Allah make it to the playoffs in this year's PSL if not winning the title.

Pakistan vs New Zealand 2025 3rd ODI

 

Pakistan lost the ODI series 3-0 to New Zealand by losing the third ODI by 43 runs. As compared to previous two matches this ODI was a closely fought one. Infact Pakistan lost all matches on tour because of their expensive bowling and that put too much pressure on their batting. 

Having said that even with the experienced duo in their batting of ODIs on this tour that is Babar Azam and Muhammad Rizwan, our twenty20 team played infact better cricket than our ODI team and were more successful than our ODI side by winning atleast one match. Babar Azam was the main stay in our batting of ODIs as we witnessed in the first ODI and Third ODI our batting collapsed whenever Babar Azam was dismissed.

In the end what I would like to say is that we atleast didnt have a winless tour as we won just one Twenty20 match in the entire tour.

Pakistan vs New Zealand 2025 2nd ODI

 

 

Pakistan were outclassed by 84 runs in the 2nd ODI by New Zealand. Pakistan are clearly missing the services of Fakhar Zaman and Saim Ayub and their batting is nothing without them. When Pakistan's tailenders can recover Pakistan from 32 for 5 to 208 all out then our top order batsmen should have performed a lot better. 

This wasnt a 292 run pitch and the Pakistani bowlers after having New Zealand at 170 for 5 at one stage should have restricted New Zealand to a much lower total. Pakistan also had better of the bowling conditions but they didnt take advantage of it. Our bowling has proved to be expensive in every match of the tour so far and there seems to be no respite from it. 

In the end what I would like to say that Pakistan will do well if they can avoid being whitewashed 3-0 in the ODI series.

Pakistan vs New Zealand 2025 1st ODI

 

Pakistan once again lost to New Zealand by 73 runs in a match they looked like favourites to win on many occasions. When Pakistan had New Zealand at a low score with low run rate a 98 for 3 in 24 overs from then on Pakistan should have restricted New Zealand to a low total.  In batting when Pakistan were 246 for 3 in 37 th over they should have won the match and chased the total of 344 runs.

Mark Chapman seems to like Pakistani bowling as he more often than not likes to score against Pakistan. He scored a match winning century against Pakistan in this match as well. Babar Azam after being a set batsman at 78 runs should have carried on to win this match for Pakistan which he didnt and this resulted in a collapse with Pakistan having a long line of tailenders in this ODI.

In the end what I would like to say is that Pakistan is talented enough to win atleast one match in the remaining two ODIs in the series.

Pakistan vs New Zealand 4th Twenty20 International 2025

 

Pakistan crashed to a 115 run defeat in the 4th twenty20 international against New Zealand. Pakistani bowlers once again proved to be very expensive and they can hardly control and get rid of New Zealand's explosive openers Tim Seifert and Finn Allen.

If Pakistan is to do well in the remaining match of the series that is the fifth Twenty20 international then they should better dismiss both Tim Seifert and Finn Allen as quickly as possible. If Tim Seifert and Finn Allen continue their innings in this fashion then I am pretty sure Pakistan will lose the fifth Twenty20 international as well.

In the end what i would like to say is that Pakistani youngsters showed plenty of promise in this twenty20 series as Abdul Samad was impressive in this match alongwith Hasan Nawaz in the third twenty20 international. 

Pakistan vs New Zealand third Twenty20 international 2025

 

Pakistan finally register a win in the Twenty20 international series which means they wont be whitewashed in the twenty20 series against New Zealand 2025. Hasan Nawaz proved the critics wrong and scored the fastest Twenty20 international century for Pakistan beating Babar Azam's record. 

The team selected for this Twenty20 was a good one and it was a good all round team with Abbas Afridi coming in for Mohammad Ali. Abbas is much better bowler than the innocuous bowler that Mohammad ali is who is a medium pacer with no pace and swing. Pakistan also won an important toss in this match as the dew factor ensured batting conditions were easy during Pakistan's run chase. 

In the end I would only say Pakistan is getting better and is not missing Babar Azam or Mohammad Rizwan when they will show consistency in their performance.

Pakistan vs New Zealand 1st Twenty20 International 2025

 

Pakistan's new look twenty20 international team really disappointed me in the First Twenty20 international losing by 9 wickets. It seems there is hardly any quality, talent and experience in this twenty20 team. The selection of Babar Azam and Muhammad Rizwan should have been made as this is a spineless batting line up missing in form and key batsmen. 

New Zealand has a formidable pace attack in the form of Kyle Jamieson and Jacob Duffy which can run through any batting lineup. We  have on the other hand have sent inexperienced, novice and batsmen with poor techniques to face these two deadly kiwi pacemen. How on earth can you expect Pakistan to beat an invincible side like New Zealand who are playing at home with these batsmen which doesnt include Babar azam and Muhammad Rizwan in the batting line up.

In the end what i would like to say is that Pakistan will do well even if they compete against New Zealand in this Twenty20 international series.

Pakistan vs New Zealand 2025

 

Pakistan will tour New Zealand for Twenty20 and ODI series tour. New Zealand are the overwhelming favourites this time but Pakistan cricket team is capable of upsetting new zealand in one game or two in either Twenty20 series or ODI series. 

Pakistan are in a rebuilding phase after the Champions Trophy loss and Pakistani fans shouldnt keep their expectations as high. Shadab khan has been recalled to the Pakistani twenty20 team and i think it is a good move as he is an experienced campaigner. New Zealand are tough opponents as was witnessed in Champions Trophy and they are particularly invincible at home.

In the end what I would like to say is that Pakistan teams of the present and past have always been talented enough to cause an upset or two against the favourites.

Pakistan in Champions Trophy 2025

 

I wasnt disappointed by Pakistan's performance in the champions trophy as good luck deserted Pakistan in this tournament. I am saying this because Pakistan lost Saim Ayub and Fakhar Zaman both key hitters and clean strikers of the ball as openers. With our opening combination disturbed how can you expect Pakistan to come up with big totals in this tournament. 

Not to forget this was the same team which defeated mighty teams like Australia and South Africa in their own home conditions. On those conditions our bowling won us the matches. Sadly against New zealand and to a lesser degree against India our bowling flopped completely.  If we had restricted New Zealand to a score of less than 300 runs who knows there might have been less pressure on our batting and we might have won against them. Against India both our batting and bowling failed. Against india i agree we were totally outplayed.

In the end what I would like to say is that no drastic changes are needed in the team and In Sha Allah this current Pakistan cricket team will bounce back.

Pakistan vs india Champions Trophy 2025

 

Pakistan face India in the Champions Trophy match in Dubai on Sunday. My gut feeling is that Pakistan will bounce back against India and they might beat india to reach the semi finals of the tournament. i am saying this because Pakistan always raise their game whenever they face India and their intensity level increases.

For this to happen pakistan will need to drastically improve their bowling and the Pakistani batsmen will need to improve their strike rates. Among the Pakistani batsmen only Khushdil Shah and Salman Ali agha played with iimpressive strike rates. Babar azam will need to play a selfless innings and increase his strike rate.

In the end what I would like to say is that if our bowling can restrict India to a total of below 300 runs then I would say Pakistan will be favourites to win against the mighty and favourites India.

Final of the tri-nation series 2025

New Zealand won the trinations series in Pakistan by defeating Pakistan in the final of the Cup also featuring South Africa. New Zealand were by far the best team in the tournament and thoroughly deserved to win the tournament.  Pakistan have been outclassed by New Zealand in this tournament and signs are not good for Pakistan in the upcoming Champions trophy. 

Pakistan are sure to lose against New Zealand in the tournament opener on 19th February in Champions trophy judging their performance in the Tri nation series. In recent times India also start as favourites against Pakistan so thing arent looking good for Pakistan's prospects in the Champions Trophy.

In the end what i would like to say is that if Pakistani batsmen played with sense of urgency and score 40-50 runs more against New Zealand in the Final they would have won the title for sure.

Pakistan tri - nation series 2025 1st match

 

The first match between Pakistan and New Zealand in the tri-nation series was a one sided affair. New Zealand crushed Pakistan by 78 runs in this match and I have no hope from Pakistan to perform well in the rest of the tournament. 

The way our bowling performed against New Zealand batsmen give me little hope that Pakistan will perform well in the Champions Trophy as well as in the Champion's Trophy the matches will be played on similar flat pitches. Our batting is dearly missing Saim Ayub with Babar Azam at his worst possible form of his life. Only Fakhar Zaman gives me a little bit of hope.

In the end what I would like to say is that we need to improve our bowling on these flat pitches in Pakistan and UAE.

Pakistan Tri-nation series 2025

 

Pakistan trination series begins in February 2025 featuring Pakistan, New Zealand and South Africa. Both New Zealand and South Africa will provide tough opposition to the Pakistan cricket team and Pakistan will find it tough beating both the opposition. 

The flat pitches in Pakistan will negate their bowling and their batting seldom scores in the excess of 300 runs which is essential on these type of pitches. But its gonna be interesting how Pakistan's bowling performs on these pitches as the bowling was mainly the reason why Pakistan have won three ODI series in a  row that  is against Australia, Zimbabwe and South Africa. 

In the end what I would like to say is that this tournament will prove a catalyst to upcoming Champions Trophy later on starting on 19th February.

Pakistan vs West Indies 2nd test 2025

 

Pakistan lost this test match by 120 runs and hence the 2 match test series has tied by 1-1 scoreline. Pakistan should have won this test match too when they had West Indies first at 38 for 7 then at 54 for 8 which included Noman Ali's hat trick. But they let West Indies get to a total at 163 runs which proved vital in the end and made a huge difference to the result in the end.

After tailor making spinning tracks in this second test also Pakistani batsmen failed themselves infact West Indies batsmen batted better than Pakistani batsmen in this test match having scored a respectable score of 242 runs in their sceond innings. This shows that the toss plays a vital role in these conditions with the team batting first having a great advantage. 

In the end what I would like to say is that Shan Masood has a made a habit of tailenders scoring runs heavily under his captaincy. First against Banagladesh when Bangladesh recovered from having been at 26 for 6 at one stage then against South Africa with South Africa winning the test match against Pakistan at Centurion having them at 99 for 8 only for the tailenders to score the winning runs. Lastly in this test match when Shan Masood didnt go for the kill after having West Indies at 38 for 7 at one stage. Shan Masood should reverse this trend if Pakistan are to do well in the 2025-2027 World Test Championship Cycle.

Pakistan vs West Indies 1st test 2025

 

 

Pakistan won the first test against West Indies by 127 runs which wasnt surprising as Pakistan on these kind of pitches are invincible at home. Sajid Khan and Noman Ali are deadly exponents and experts of spin in these conditions at home. Sajid Khan in particular is almost unplayable on these pitches which turn square right from day one of the test and especially the soil and turf of Multan suits these kind of pitches.

On the otherhand Pakistan's batting was poor throughout the test match with only the partnership of 141 runs between Saud Shakeel and Muhammad Rizwan impressing me. If that partnership was broken a lot earlier Pakistan might have found themselves in trouble in this test match.

In the end what i would like to say is that Pakistan shouldnt take West Indies lightly and become complacent. If they dont become complacent they should be able to whitewash West Indies 2-0 in this test series played at home.

West Indies tour of Pakistan 2025

 

Pakistan although having home advantage should be the favourites over West Indies which is lying at the bottom of the table but I think totally the opposite of that. I am saying this because Pakistan bowling has proved itself to be unreliable and lacking penetration especially their pacemen.

I am not sure the Pakistani bowlers are capable of getting twenty wickets required in test cricket in order to win a match. If their one dimensional spin bowling attack of Sajid Khan, Noman Ali and Abrar Ahmed fail then their pace attack is bound to fail too. Also our batting has proved to be fragile from time to time. West Indies team are no push overs as they have quite a decent pace attack as they proved themselves on the tour of Australia which ended in a 1-1 draw.

In the end what I would like to say is that if Pakistan prepare the same kind of pitches as they prepared against England then I expect Pakistan to beat the West Indies in this test series.

Pakistan vs South Africa 2nd test 2025

 

Pakistan went down fighting against South Africa by 10 wickets in Cape town. where the pitch was flat. Having conceded a mammoth total of 615 runs against South Africa in the first innings Pakistan should have batted with responsibility in their first innings having scored a total of just 194 runs.

Pakistan were unlucky as Saim Ayub got injured if Saim Ayub hadnt been injured he and the century maker Shan Masood would have set South Africa a target of atleast 200 runs which might have sent jitters amongst the South African batsmen in their second innings. 

Our bowling was totally pathetic with only Mohammad Abbas and Salman Agha making significant contributions to the wickets column for Pakistan with three wickets apiece. Mir Hamza, Khurram Shehzad and Aamer Jamal proved to be ineffective on the benign Cape Town pitch.

In the end what i would like to say is that had good luck gone our way in the Centurion Test we might have drawn this test series against South Africa 1-1 instead of being whitewashed 2-0. 

Pakistan bounces back in 2024

 Pakistan after having a terrible year of 2024 in which they lost to USA in the twenty20 World Cup of 2024 in USA and West Indies. After that loss they lost 2-0 to Bangladesh in tests in Rawalpindi. As soon as England arrived for tests in October Pakistan's fortunes in 2024 changed.

In October Pakistan's year of 2024 changed with England losing the test series in Pakistan. Then onwards they won the ODI series against Australia, Zimbabwe and South Africa which means Pakistan is in great form for the Champions Trophy to be held in 2025 later in Pakistan. After such success in ODI cricket in 2024 they are definitely the only favourites for the Champions trophy in 2025. 

In the end what i would like to say is that after defeating top international teams like Australia and South Africa in ODI cricket I am saying this with confidence that Pakistan are no. 1 ODI side in the World at present.