Afghanistan outclassed Pakistan by only 18 runs. After the match, former Pakistan international Ramiz Raja made a hilarious comment. He is more bothered by the number 18 than Pakistan's poor performance. Raza said, "Na jaane kab ye 18 number hamara picha chhodega, tang ho gaye hain (Don’t know when this number 18 will stop following us, we’re fed up)." A part of cricket fans started to relate Raza's mentioned number 18 with Virat Kohli. 

Virat Kohli vs Pakistan:

Kohli has a mesmerizing track record against Pakistan. According to stats, Virat has a T20I batting average of 70.29 against Pakistan after 11 matches and 11 innings. On which the batting maestro smashed five half centuries, including an unbeaten 82-run innings. In 2022, Virat Kohli scored an unbeaten 53-ball 82* to help India secure an opening victory against Pakistan in their ICC Men's T20 World Cup fixture. 

In the ODI format also, Virat's stats against Pakistan were more than attractive. After 17 ODI matches and 17 innings, the Indian batter claimed 778 runs at an average of 59.85, powered by an individual highest knock of 183. Kohli's highest score of 183 came against Pakistan during the 2012 Asia Cup; India successfully chased a target of 330 set by Pakistan, and Kohli was awarded man of the match.

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Afghanistan vs Pakistan, September 2, 2025:

Afghanistan went to bat first and registered a competitive total of 169 runs. Faheem Ashraf was the most successful bowler for Pakistan with 4 wickets to his name. On a slow-turning track, Pakistani batters were unable to apply the right technique and lost wickets in short intervals. Haris Rauf, the number 10 batsman of Pakistan's batting line-up, was the highest scorer for them with an unbeaten 34, and Fakhar Zaman with 25 runs was the second highest scorer for them. 

Apart from Rauf, no other Pakistani batter was able to claim at least the 30-run mark in the match. In their 20-over limit, Salman Ali Agha's team scored 151 runs, losing 9 scalps. Fazalhaq Farooqi, skipper Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, and Noor Ahmad got 2 wickets each. 

Former Pakistan captain and well-known commentator Ramiz Raja shared his thoughts on Pakistan’s loss to Bangladesh in the first T20I. He raised concerns about the team’s changing batting style on tough pitches.

After losing the first two T20Is in Mirpur, Pakistan finally got some pride back with a big 74-run win in the last match of the three-game series. While Pakistan’s batting struggled in the first two games, Ramiz Raja said the pitch was not the main reason for the poor performance.

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Ramiz Raja Questions Pakistan’s Batting Strategy

Speaking on his YouTube channel, former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja talked about the Mirpur pitch and blamed poor batting for the early losses in the series. He said, “Yes, the conditions in Bangladesh were tough, but not as difficult as Pakistan made them look. Bangladesh played on the same pitch. You can’t just blame the surface.”

Pakistan were bowled out for 110 and 125 in the first two T20Is, losing the series to a strong Bangladesh team. But in the third match, Pakistan finally performed well with the bat, scoring 178 runs and winning by 74 runs.

Ramiz Raja criticizes Pakistan’s batting approach 🧐

The former Pakistan batter and commentator has weighed in on Pakistan’s collapse in the first T20I against Bangladesh, where they were bowled out for just 110 on a slow Mirpur pitch — a total which the home team chased down… pic.twitter.com/f1kax6bLPx

— Nukta Pakistan (@NuktaPakistan) July 21, 2025

Farhan Shines, Hesson Slams Pitch

Ramiz also spoke about Pakistan’s new batting style. “This boom-or-bust approach is still new for Pakistan. Trying it on hard pitches is risky. Changing the batting style is not wrong, but can it work on all kinds of surfaces? That’s the big test!” he said.

Sahibzada Farhan, playing his first match in the series, made a big impact. He scored 63 runs off 41 balls, hitting 6 fours and 5 sixes. Ramiz praised him, saying, “It looked like Farhan was batting on a different pitch. His timing and shot selection were perfect. He smashed five sixes on the same surface where Bangladesh batters were struggling.”

Meanwhile, Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson called the pitch below international standards. He said, “This type of wicket is not right for international cricket. Playing on such pitches won’t help teams grow. Bangladesh may win on these, but it’s not good for improvement.”

With two matches left in the series, Pakistan will have to rethink their plans to stay in the contest.

Ex-Pakistan cricketer and commentator Ramiz Raja committed a humorous blunder while presenting the post-match ceremony of a Pakistan Super League (PSL) match on April 22. The game between Lahore Qalandars and Multan Sultans was thrilling, but it was Ramiz's gaffe that stole the limelight. In the announcement of the 'Catch of the Match' award, he mistakenly referred to the tournament as the "IPL" rather than the "PSL."

Ramiz was presenting the 'Catch of the Match' trophy to Multan Sultans' Joshua Little for his sensational catch to leave Fakhar Zaman out. Speaking while doing it, Ramiz said, "What a catch! Possibly the catch of the HBL IPL." The error instantly spread like a virus, and fans enjoyed posting the clip and making memes out of it. Ramiz didn't apologize or correct himself, and that made the moment all the more hilarious. People online made jokes about the confusion between the IPL and the PSL.

Watch the Video:

HBL PSL ❌
HBL IPL ✅

Best Catch of the "HBL IPL" ~ Ramiz Raja does it again 😅 pic.twitter.com/mbt2mFdGzP

— Richard Kettleborough (@RichKettle07) April 23, 2025

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On Thursday night, the Gujarat Titans prevailed narrowly over the Punjab Kings to earn their third victory of the 2023 Indian Premier League season. Rahul Tewatia scored a four when the Titans needed the same number of runs to win from the last two deliveries to secure a victory for the team, which was chasing a 154-run target. Their opener Shubman Gill was the star for GT with the bat, as he scored a significant 67 off 49 deliveries, crushing seven fours and a six.

Gill held one end as wickets kept on falling on the other, and kept up with the speed of run-scoring as Sai Sudharsan (19 off 20 balls), Hardik Pandya (8 off 11 balls), and David Mill operator (17* off 18 balls) all battled to hit enormous numbers all through their innings.

Ramiz Raja, a former captain of Pakistan, said that Gill’s performance against the Punjab Kings was very impressive.

He agreed with the general consensus that Shubman Gill could become India’s next best batsman in any format.

“He has so much potential, he has so much time. He looks so naturally beautiful when he plays. When he drives, there’s a curve on the shot. He has a lot of time to play his strokes. It doesn’t matter if he scores on the off side, on side, hook or pull, it’s just so beautiful and neat-and-clean. Many predict that he could be the next best batsman after Virat Kohli. He has touch, class, and elegance like Rohit Sharma. And his temperament is quite strong,”

Raja said on his official YouTube channel.

“From Tests, ODIs, and T20Is as well, he has tormented the bowlers. When you see him, it seems like time has stopped. At such a young age, he already has records. Sky is the limit for him,”

he further said.

With 183 runs from four matches, Gill ranks fifth among the current edition’s highest run scorers.