Asia Cup Rising Stars 2026 Tournament Schedule: India and Pakistan to Meet Again

Following a tense T20 match between India and New Zealand in Christchurch, Pakistani former cricketer Basit Ali expressed high praise for the Indian team's performance on his YouTube channel. Analyzing the game, Basit Ali named young batsman Tilak Verma as the true hero of this victory, noting that thanks to him, India managed to win a match that seemed lost.

In his show, Basit Ali stated that when India's early wickets fell quickly, there was a feeling that the game had completely gotten out of control. It was at this moment that Tilak Verma demonstrated great skill by stabilizing the course of the match. He noted that Tilak did not take risks trying to hit the ball for big boundaries, but instead effectively used singles, doubles, and small boundaries.

He also positively commented on Captain Shreyas Iyer's decision to send Vaibhav Suryawanshi to the third position. Nevertheless, Basit Ali believes that the team composition could change if Ishan Kishan is able to return to fitness. Furthermore, Basit Ali highly praised the contribution of young Pakistani players to the sport, commending Naman Dhir and Nitish Kumar Reddy for scoring strong runs in the lower order, which helped turn the tide of the game.

Basit Ali criticized the captaincy of New Zealand's Mitchell Santner, stating that due to some tactical errors, New Zealand let go of a match that was theirs. Although Mitchell Santner played strongly with four wickets taken, as a captain he made decision-making errors. Basit Ali sharply hinted that the New Zealand players would think about how the match slipped away from them. He emphasized that in limited-overs cricket, the match does not end until the last ball is bowled.

In Basit Ali's opinion, this young Indian lower middle order not only proved its competence but also demonstrated how strong India's squad depth is.

Pakistan secured a convincing victory over the strong English team in the second match of the trinational one-day series, defeating the opponent by a margin of 87 runs. This win marks the second consecutive major victory for the Pakistani team. Previously, the Pakistani team, which had previously beaten Sri Lanka, batted first and scored an impressive total of 302 runs.

After this, Pakistan demonstrated mastery in bowling, limiting the total score of the entire English team to just 215 runs in 38.4 overs.

Following this impressive triumph, the spirits of former Pakistani stars were lifted again. Recently, on a cricket show on a Pakistani television channel, former fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar highly praised the PCB (Pakistan Cricket Board). Notably, it was this Shoaib Akhtar who had previously criticized the PCB multiple times.

On the show, Akhtar stated that the PCB had decided to move forward with a new mindset. He mentioned meeting many players there, including fast bowlers with speeds of 161.3 km/h. Akhtar advised these young athletes: 'Son, you can break my record, but do not break your body.'

Akhtar also sharply criticized Pakistani players over the last 15 years, stating that they played 'materialistic cricket.' He proudly noted that the PCB has now implemented a policy of 'no nonsense' and 'spirit,' clearly informing players that if they want to play for personal statistics, they should stay home.

Not limiting himself to criticizing his own association, Shoaib Akhtar extended his remarks to world cricket. He stated that for the last 15–20 years, everyone had played selfishly, which led to the current situation. He added that although cricket has existed for 500 years, it is played correctly in only 10–12 countries, unlike football, which involves 200 countries.

Pakistan's 21-year-old all-rounder, Arafat Minhaz, forced the English team to capitulate with his outstanding performance. In the ODI Three Series match, he first scored 59 runs and then took six wickets, securing an 87-run victory for Pakistan.

In the match, which took place on October 20th at Rawalpindi Stadium in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, having lost the toss, started batting and scored 302 runs, losing 9 wickets. England's reply finished at 215 runs. This win was Pakistan's second in the tournament.

The challenging English side started their innings aggressively. Tom Banten and Ben Duckett helped the team build pressure on Pakistan, scoring 91 runs for the first wicket. However, Haris Rauf broke this partnership by dismissing Duckett, who had a score of 45. Banten scored 57 runs off 53 balls before being dismissed by Arafat Minhaz.

Subsequently, Arafat Minhaz got rid of England's captain, Harry Brook, with a score of five. Joe Root and Sam Curran tried to stabilize the game, but Naseem Shah dismissed Root, who was scoring 33 runs. Then Haris Rauf removed Curran (27 runs), worsening England's problems.

After this, Arafat Minhaz became the target of Jordan Cox and Jamie Overton. Minhaz did not stop there, consecutively dismissing Will Jacks and Adil Rashid, thus completing his six-wicket haul. Minhaz had previously taken five or more wickets in a single ODI international match twice. England's innings concluded after 38.4 overs after Gass Atkinson was run out. Minhaz took six wickets, scoring 40 runs in 8.4 overs. Additionally, Haris Rauf secured two wickets, and Naseem Shah one.

Prior to this, Pakistan's attack also looked difficult. Gass Atkinson dismissed Fahhar Zaman on the very first ball. Sam Ayub returned to the field, scoring eight runs, while Babur Azam scored 34 runs off 52 balls, being dismissed by Will Jacks. Salman Ali Agha managed only 16 runs, and Pakistan lost four wickets, scoring 59 runs.

At that moment, Hasan Nawaz and Saad Beg managed to stabilize the innings. They added 51 runs for the fifth wicket. Saad scored 35 runs, but Gass Atkinson ended his innings. On the other hand, Hasan Nawaz continued to play aggressively, scoring 79 runs off 74 balls, including five fours and four sixes. After Hasan Nawaz was dismissed, Arafat Minhaz took full responsibility. He scored 59 runs off 58 balls, and together with Fahim Ashraf, quickly advanced Pakistan's score. They formed a partnership of 72 runs for the seventh wicket. Fahim scored 39 runs off 25 balls. In the final overs, captain Shakib Afridi helped Pakistan cross the 300-run mark, hitting two consecutive fours. He remained not out, scoring 10 runs. Sonny Baker from England took three wickets, and Gass Atkinson earned two wickets.