Karachi (around 11:10 PM – fourth roza complete, fifth Taravih finished at the masjid, and right now I'm preparing for the fifth roza – laying out dates, filling the water jug, setting the Sehri alarm, feeling that quiet focus for tomorrow's fast)

---

22 February 2026  

Yaar, fourth roza done, fifth Taravih behind me, and as I sit here getting things ready for the fifth roza – soaking dates, keeping water ready, thinking about what to eat at Sehri – the cricket world is still buzzing from what happened in Ahmedabad earlier today. South Africa just gave India a proper hammering in the 43rd match of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, Super Eights Group 1 at Narendra Modi Stadium.

South Africa won by 76 runs. India were bowled out for 111 chasing 188. The Proteas were clinical in every department – batting depth when it mattered, bowling variety, sharp fielding – and India looked completely off the pace they showed earlier in the tournament.

South Africa won the toss and batted first on a good Ahmedabad track (true bounce, some early help for pace). They started shaky – Quinton de Kock 6 (7), Aiden Markram 4 (7), Ryan Rickelton 7 (7) – 20/3 after 4 overs. But Dewald Brevis (45 off 29, 3 fours, 3 sixes) and David Miller (63 off 35, 7 fours, 3 sixes) rebuilt with a 97-run stand for the fourth wicket (50 in 29 balls). Tristan Stubbs (44* off 24, 1 four, 3 sixes) finished strong. SA posted 187/7 in 20 overs (RR 9.35). Extras 11. Jasprit Bumrah took 3/15 (4 overs, including de Kock bowled, Rickelton caught, Bosch c&b), Arshdeep 2/28, Dube 1/32, Chakravarthy 1/47.

India's chase was a disaster – 111 all out in 18.5 overs (RR 5.89). Ishan Kishan 0 (4), Tilak Varma 1 (2), Abhishek Sharma 15 (12) – top three gone for 26/3 after 4.3 overs. Suryakumar Yadav 18 (22), Washington Sundar 11 (11), Hardik Pandya 18 (17), Rinku Singh 0 (2). Shivam Dube top-scored with 42 (37, 1 four, 3 sixes) but it was too late. Extras 5. Marco Jansen 4/22 (3.5 overs), Keshav Maharaj 3/24 (3 overs), Corbin Bosch 2/12 (3 overs), Markram 1/5 (1 over).

Powerplay: SA 41/3, India 31/3. SA reached 100 in 11.1 overs, 150 in 15.2. India hit 50 in 8.3 overs, 100 in 15.2 – slow and stuttering.

Player of the Match: David Miller (63 off 35, 110.93 Cricinfo MVP points). SA's all-round balance shone – pace, spin, batting depth. India? First loss of the tournament, NRR takes a hit, top-order fragility exposed again (Abhishek's ongoing slump, early collapses).

My take: SA outclassed India in every phase today. All-round strength beat star power on the day. India will bounce back – they have the talent – but batting first and folding for 111 chasing 188 shows real vulnerabilities.

Ramadan Mubarak – fourth roza and fifth Taravih done, Alhamdulillah. Preparing for fifth roza right now – Sehri prep, dua in my heart. Stay strong on the fast, everyone.

You think India recovers quick or SA the new favorites? Drop your thoughts below.

Murtaza Moiz  

@MoizMurtaza  

CricSphere Blog

---

---

Share

Karachi (around 11:45 PM – fourth Taravih roza wrapped, third iftar done, prayers finished, but can’t switch off from this T20 World Cup drama after watching that SUNO NEWS clip)

---

21 February 2026

Yaar, I came across this Yasir Rashid video on SUNO NEWS HD – “SHOCKING & SHAMEFUL: Why Pakistan Lost to India? | T20 World Cup 2026” – and it’s got me nodding along the whole way. No nonsense, straight facts on why we got hammered by 61 runs in Colombo, and it shuts down all the “fixed match” whispers with cold hard reality about cricket’s business side. Let me unfold what he said in my own words, mix in some stats from the game to back it up, and give my take – because this loss wasn’t some conspiracy; it was straight-up bad decisions and ego over brains.

Rashid kicks off debunking the rumors: no, Pakistan didn’t take money to lose. Cricket is a massive industry – ICC revenue from broadcasting, ads, tickets – and we get our cut win or lose. He explains it clearly: TV rights sold for millions, ads paying per second based on viewership (that Indo-Pak clash probably hit 100 million+ viewers worldwide, stats from similar games show peaks over 400 million for 2022). Gate money from tickets (even in Sri Lanka, VIP boxes go for thousands), prize shares distributed regardless. PCB gets fixed match fees (around $40,000 per player per game in World Cups, per ICC reports), plus ad revenue splits. Rashid says billions flow in – and he’s right, ICC’s 2023-27 cycle is worth $3.2 billion in media rights alone. So losses hurt pride, not pockets – the money keeps coming.

But the real meat is why we actually lost. Rashid tears into team selection: fame over form. Babar Azam (just 13 runs off 10 vs India, strike rate under 100 again), Shaheen Afridi (1/34 in 4 overs, leaking 8.5 RPO) – kept in because they’re “stars” for sponsors, not performers. Dropped Salman Mirza (who took 3/20 in the previous match) for more seam-spin balance. Stats back this: our bowling attack used 8 different bowlers vs India, most in a T20I for us, but it diluted focus – only 2 wickets in powerplay, India at 50/1 after 6 overs.

Toss decision? Disaster. Salman Agha won and batted first on a used RPS pitch where second innings batting is tough (average first innings score in Colombo T20s: 148, second: 129 per Cricinfo data). Expected dew, but Rashid says treat it as possibility, not certainty. India batted first, posted 176 (Surya Kumar Yadav’s 50 off 36, smart gap-hitting), we crumbled to 114. Our middle overs batting strike rate? Below 100, while India’s was 130+. Spinners introduced late (seventh bowler Usman Tariq), when the pitch favored straight balls – ball slowing, stopping. Stats: our spinners took 3/58 in 8 overs, but India’s took 4/38 in 8.

Coaching? Rashid roasts the foreign think tank – high-paid (Mike Hesson on $500k+ contract, per reports), but over-specific plans (per-over instructions) left players confused. Data obsession ignoring human elements like confidence – modern cricket flaw. Stats prove it: Pakistan’s win rate vs top teams since 2021? Under 40%, while vs minnows over 70%. Double standards everywhere.

My take: Rashid is spot-on – this loss was self-inflicted, not fixed. Ego in selection (Babar’s average vs India in T20s: 27.5, Shaheen’s economy 7.8), wrong toss (we’ve lost 6/10 batting first in Sri Lanka), poor execution. But the business angle? Eye-opener – cricket’s a billion-dollar game (ICC revenue $2.5b last cycle), so focus on performance, not conspiracies.

Watch it yourself: https://youtu.be/foNIG-OpmPI. Super 8 ahead – fix this mess or we’ll crash out.

You buying the “no fix, just bad cricket” line? Or still suspicious? Comments below.

Murtaza Moiz
@MoizMurtaza
CricSphere Blog

---

---

Share

Karachi (around 11:30 PM – first roza fast broken hours ago, but my blood is still boiling hotter than the afternoon chai after rewatching that Geo News Sports Floor panel – zero mercy, zero excuses, just the raw truth we desperately need right now)

---

19 February 2026  

Yaar, listen up and listen HARD – that Geo News Sports Floor episode titled "Pakistan’s Batting Line-Up Tested against strong Kiwi Attack" is a brutal, no-BS masterclass, and I’m shouting it from the rooftops: every single word from Rashid Latif, Sikandar Bakht, Mohammad Amir, Ahmed Shehzad and host Danish is spot-on fire. We need this slap in the face before tomorrow’s Super 8 opener against New Zealand. No more soft takes, no more protecting egos – our team is hanging by a thread, and if we don’t wake up fast, we will get absolutely smashed. I’m saying it assertively and without apology: this preview holds up a mirror to our weaknesses, and PCB better act on it or watch us crash out early.

They start by laying out New Zealand’s current beast mode: 3 wins from 4 in the league (only loss to SA), love chasing, batting averages 35-40, strike rates consistently 150+ that scare anyone. Openers Finn Allen (strike rates like 173, 137, 167, 177 – pure destroyer) and Rachin Ravindra (left-arm spin threat, averaging 40+), finishers like Daryl Mitchell – this batting line-up is genuinely frightening, as Rashid Latif puts it bluntly. Their pacers? Ferguson fast as lightning, Henry and Jamieson with proper swing and length, Duffy a top T20 bowler right now. Economy can be leaky (8-10+), but they take wickets upfront and at the death. We MUST exploit that weakness – no excuses.

Our batting? A complete joke at the moment, and I’m not laughing. Only Sahibzada Farhan has 220 runs; nobody else has even crossed 100. Top order looks nervous; no one consolidates when it matters. Ahmed Shehzad nails it: Babar Azam at No. 4 is a disaster right now – nervous, playing every ball the same way, zero game-changing impact. Drop him for Fakhar Zaman, he says, and I’m backing that call 100%. Let’s talk Fakhar’s record against NZ assertively: 4 T20Is vs them, 115 runs at average 28.75, strike rate 144.65 – solid numbers, with a high of 50. But dig deeper: in bilateral series he’s smashed 147 off 102 balls across 3 innings (SR 144), including a 50 in a chase. Fakhar loves swing early, turns games with big hits, and his left-hand advantage troubles NZ’s right-arm heavy attack. He’s a proven big-match player. Babar? Struggling, defensive, no momentum – bench him now, no favorites.

Shaheen Afridi? Knee pain for three years, no proper fitness test, played injured – drop him if he’s not 100%. Salman Mirza took 3 wickets last match; keep him. Mohammad Amir is right: our pacers need support, but Shaheen’s fitness is now a liability.

Shadab Khan? Panel rips him, and so do I: recent 50+4 wickets came against weak teams – no real impact in big games. Amir wants Abrar Ahmed in – mystery leg-spin that NZ struggles against (they average low vs leg-spinners). Rashid notes Shadab’s variations but poor execution lately. Shehzad: drop for Faheem or Nawaz. I’m assertive: Shadab is done – bench him, bring Abrar for control and variety.

Bowling overall: way too spin-heavy (Shadab/Abrar/Usman Tariq/Salman Mirza), only Faheem as specialist pacer with limited overs. Amir and Latif demand Naseem Shah back for swing and new-ball bite. Sikandar Bakht: spinners dominate Premadasa (batting first usually wins), but captain Agha must use seamers early.

Now let me play devil’s advocate on the toss – NZ wasn’t fortunate winning it last time? Wrong narrative. If NZ had won the toss and forced us to bat first on RPS, with their fully potent swing bowlers (Henry, Jamieson, Ferguson all fresh), how would we behave? We’d crumble badly, that’s how. Our top order is shaky against swing – Babar defensive and out of sorts, Saim Ayub raw. Apart from Sahibzada Farhan (who’s shown real grit) this tournament, averaging 73.33 with SR 140+, handles pace well), are we capable? No – we’d be 40/3 inside the powerplay, chasing shadows, game over early. That’s the harsh reality. Toss has saved us sometimes, but real teams win regardless of who bats first. We’re not there yet.

The panel’s frustrated tone is perfect: NZ’s batting frightens, our system is flawed, injured players are forced in, fixed XI despite clear failures. PCB – hear this loud: no more favorites, no more excuses.

Super 8 starts tomorrow. We need immediate changes: Fakhar in for Babar, Abrar/Naseem in the XI, better use of pace early. Prove the critics wrong with performance, not press conferences.

Watch the full panel here: https://youtu.be/XRFW2GEV988 – it’s the tough love we deserve.

You agree – drop Babar, Shadab, Shaheen? Or think we’re ready as is? Rant in comments, let’s keep it brutally honest.

Murtaza Moiz  

@MoizMurtaza  

CricSphere Blog

---

---

Share

Karachi (around 11:45 PM – first roza iftar done, but my mind is still churning from watching that Geo News exclusive, feeling the weight of old scandals while the Super 8 looms)

---

19 February 2026  

Yaar, I just finished that Geo News clip – "Nasir Jamshed First Interview After Match-Fixing Scandal Exclusive by Murtaza Ali Shah" – and it's a heavy, no-frills sit-down that drags up all the dirt from Pakistan cricket's dark days. Uploaded just a week ago on February 11, 2026, by Geo News, it's Jamshed breaking his silence on the spot-fixing mess that wrecked his career, the PSL scandal, and how it's all left him hoping for a fresh start. Interviewer Murtaza Ali Shah keeps it focused on the allegations, not letting Jamshed off easy, and while there's no full transcript, the key bits paint a picture of regret mixed with deflection. Let me break it down in my own words, because this isn't just old news – it's a mirror to the messes we're still dealing with in our cricket today.

Jamshed opens up about the scandal that hit like a bomb: spot-fixing charges, arrest, and the fallout from the PSL mess where he was accused of being a key player in the web. He admits the mistake flat-out, saying greed got the better of him back then, and expresses this quiet hope to move on – maybe coach, maybe mentor, but definitely not play again. Shah presses hard on the details: how it started, the role of bookies, and the impact on teammates like Sharjeel Khan and Khalid Latif, who got dragged down with him (bans, careers stalled). Jamshed doesn't deny the involvement but talks about lessons learned, the pain of being labeled a "mafia" or "mujrim" by fans. He reflects on his aggressive batting days – that power-hitting style that made him a star opener – but it's clear the scandal overshadows everything now.

The comments section is a battlefield: some fans call for forgiveness ("He's done his time, made a mistake, time to move on"), others rip him apart ("He destroyed Khalid and Sharjeel's careers," "Greedy thug who sold out the team"). There's even chatter about patriotism and Punjabi players in cricket, with accusations of greed ruining the game's image. One comment nail his past attitude: during the 2013 South Africa tour, Jamshed was allegedly hounding for gifts, showing early signs of that "greed" that led to bigger troubles.

This interview isn't just about one guy's fall – it's a spotlight on a deeper societal dilemma in Pakistan, especially in cricket. Seniors have this nagging habit of pressurizing juniors, taking all the credits when things go right, but shoving the blame on the young ones when it all falls apart. Jamshed's story highlights this perfectly: as a senior opener at his peak, he got involved in fixing, but the narrative often shifts blame to "influences" or juniors like Sharjeel, while the big names skate or get lighter scrutiny. It's the same in our society – elders demand respect but dump failures on the next generation, never admitting their own faults. High time we admit this flaw in ourselves instead of always finding someone else's shoulders to cry on or blame. Own up, learn, move forward – or we'll keep repeating the same scandals.

But let's play devil's advocate for a second: maybe the seniors aren't always the villains. In Jamshed's case, was he pressured by even bigger fish in the system, or was it all greed? And in today's team, if juniors like Saim Ayub flop, is it really seniors like Babar taking undue credit, or just the pressure of the spotlight? Food for thought – but nah, the pattern is too clear to ignore.

This clip (https://youtu.be/6fwtJPnvhKg) is a must-watch for any real Pakistan cricket fan – raw regret, tough questions, and a reminder that scandals like this scar the game forever. With Super 8 starting, let's hope our current team learns from it: no shortcuts, no blame games.

You think Jamshed deserves a second chance? Or is the damage too deep? And how do we fix this senior-junior blame cycle in our society? Drop your takes below – keep it real.

Murtaza Moiz  

@MoizMurtaza  

CricSphere Blog

---

---

Share