Debut match against England: Rajaula set a sports record despite taking 4 wickets

The Pakistani team is facing issues with their performances in England. In the third Test match held in Birmingham, the Pakistani players were once again forced to capitulate against the English bowlers. In the first half of the match, the entire team scored only 133 runs.

However, the more striking statistic was Pakistan's overall performance during their tour of England. Over five matches, the Pakistani team scored a total of 743 runs. Meanwhile, Indian captain Shubman Gill personally scored 754 runs during his visit to England last year. Thus, the entire Pakistani team could not surpass Shubman Gill's individual result.

Shubman Gill demonstrated outstanding play over five Test matches against England last year. The Indian captain earned 754 runs in the series. He scored four centuries, and his average was 75.40. His impressive innings of 269 runs at the Edgbaston ground deserves special attention.

Now, at the same Edgbaston ground, the Pakistani team lost, scoring only 133 runs. This comparison between Gill's statistics and Pakistan's became a topic of discussion on social media.

Pakistan's performance in England remains extremely disappointing. The runs they have scored show the following results: 171, 135, 110, 194, and 133 runs. This means that the Pakistani team failed to cross the 200-run mark in any of the five matches.

Furthermore, no Pakistani player managed to score a century throughout the tour. Only two half-centuries were credited to the players. As for captain Babar Azam, he did not participate in the first Test match and, despite his return, struggled with the batting. His statistics include three single-digit scores; in three innings across two matches, he scored 21 runs. He still has one Test match to play at Edgbaston.

In the first match in Birmingham, none of Pakistan's top 5 players managed to score even a ten. This marked the first instance in the history of Test cricket on English soil where the first five batsmen of Pakistan were dismissed for a single-digit score. Only Saud Shakeel managed to hold out for some time in the entire match, scoring 43 runs, but none of the other players managed to play a big innings.

Significant changes occurred in the Pakistani cricket community during the visit to England. Following poor performances, the team changed its coaching staff, dismissing Sarfaraz Ahmed and Umar Gul from their positions. Nevertheless, there was no significant improvement in Pakistan's play on the field. In Birmingham, the team once again showed extremely weak play, returning to the dressing room with a total score of 133 runs.

Shubman Gill's previous visit to England was one of the most significant periods of his career. Leading the Indian team for the first time, Gill set numerous batting records. After Virat Kohli retired, Gill was appointed at number four, and he fully embraced this responsibility. His statistics—754 runs, 4 centuries, and an average of 75.40 in the five-match series—speak volumes about his performance.

Pakistan's statistics during the visit to England:

• Leeds Test: 171 and 135
• Lord's Test: 110 and 194
• Birmingham Test: 133 runs (one innings)

During the match in Sher-e-Punjab T20 League 2026 on Tuesday, March 8th, Naman Dir created a real storm on the field in Mohali. This all-round player for the Mumbai Indians team, playing for Amritsar Surmas, scored 173 runs off just 64 balls. His performance included 16 fours and 12 sixes, and he set the largest individual score in the history of the Sher-e-Punjab T20 League.

In the match, which took place at the PCA IS Stadium in Mohali, Mohali Kings captain Ramandeep Singh decided to start the game with a coin toss, choosing to play defensively first. Naman Dir came out onto the field for Amritsar Surmas as the first batsman. Usually, Dir plays in the lower or middle order, but this time he had the opportunity to start the innings.

In the first over, he had to face three deliveries without scoring. However, after that, he gained incredible momentum, and the Mohali players could not respond to his attack. By the second over, Dir had hit two sixes. By the end of the powerplay, he was scoring 53 runs off just 19 balls.

The most dangerous moment in the game was the 12th over. Lavdip Chata, who initially allowed Dir to face three dot balls, received his 'reckoning' in this match. In Chata's over, Dir first hit two fours, followed by three consecutive sixes. Furthermore, Chata bowled a no-ball. 30 runs were scored in this over.

After this, Dir crossed his century mark in just 38 balls. His century was achieved not through a large number of fours and sixes, but due to the explosive pace of his attack.

Dir did not stop there. In the next over, Abhishek Sharma joined him. Jaspreet Singh was dismissed for 41 runs off 25 balls bowled by Harpreet Barra. Abhishek hit two sixes immediately after coming in, but was removed from the game by Tejpreet Singh's ball. In the same over, Tejpreet took three sixes, two of which were hit by Naman Dir. Then, in the 16th over, Dir hit two more sixes off Harpreet Barra's balls and reached the mark of 150 runs off just 54 balls.

Dir's storm finally ended in the last over. He was caught by Harshdeep Singh off Ayush Goel's bowling. Dir concluded his historic innings by scoring 173 runs off 64 balls, including 16 fours and 12 sixes, totaling 28 boundaries. Thanks to this innings, Amritsar Surmas managed to score an impressive total of 279/7 in 20 overs. Although Ayush Goel took four wickets, Dir's fiery performance significantly reduced the impact of his overs.

According to records, Naman Dir set the record for the highest individual score in the Sher-e-Punjab T20 League. Nevertheless, in overall T20 cricket, the record for the highest score belongs to Chris Gayle with 175 runs. Since inter-state leagues are not included in the official T20 record books, this innings is also not included. If this league were recognized as T20 status, and Dir could surpass Gayle's score of 175 runs, it would be another milestone. In any case, his innings of 173 runs brought great joy to his IPL franchise, Mumbai Indians.

During the Women's Asian Cup held in Dubai, in a Group B match against Indonesia, Sri Lanka's captain Chamari Atapattu achieved a historic feat. At the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, she took seven wickets while conceding only 5 runs.

Thus, Atapattu became the first player in the history of any Asian Cup (both women's and men's) to take seven wickets in a single match. In 3.3 overs, she completely dismantled the attacking capabilities of the Indonesian team. Furthermore, in the 19th over, she took a hat-trick, claiming three wickets on the first three balls.

Thanks to her powerful performance, the entire Indonesian team was dismissed in 18.3 overs, scoring only 49 runs. Consequently, Sri Lanka won the match with a score of 75 runs.

Previously, the best performance in the Asian Cup belonged to Jaweria Khan from Pakistan, who took six wickets for 8 runs against Bangladesh in the 2008 Women's Asian Cup. Now, the record for seven wickets in one match in the Asian Cup belongs to Chamari Atapattu.

Chamari Atapattu's achievement is not limited to the Asian Cup; it is also the best performance for a Sri Lankan bowler (male or female) in T20 International. She broke the record of Ajtanda Mendis, who took 6 wickets for 8 runs against Zimbabwe in September 2012.

Chamari Atapattu is also the first bowler in the history of the T20I Asian Cup (women's or men's) to take six or more wickets. Before this, in the women's version of the T20I Asian Cup, three bowlers from Pakistan and one from Thailand had taken five wickets consecutively. In the men's version of the T20I Asian Cup, the only bowler to have taken five wickets is Bhuvneshwar Kumar.

Moreover, Chamari Atapattu became the second captain in the world to take seven wickets in a T20 International match. Before her, this feat was accomplished by Alison Stokes from Argentina, who took 7 wickets for 3.4 overs, conceding 3 runs, against Peru on October 14, 2022.