The game ended in a draw and as MIT Solutions had a first innings lead of 82 runs over Kingsmen Academy, they were adjudged winners. Hassan Nawaz led MIT Solutions will now be promoted to President's Trophy Grade I Tournament.

Player of the tournament and best wicketkeeper-batter – Muhammad Shayan (Kingsmen Academy – 543 runs and 26 dismissals)

Best batter of the tournament – Abdullah Shafique (MIT Solutions – 911 runs in 8 matches)

Best bowler of the tournament – Muhammad Tahir (PHA Rawalpindi – 42 wickets in 6 matches)

Wizard the Wicketkeeper makes short cricket + comedy skits on his YouTube channel that has featured multiple key moments of PSL and Pakistan games among other videos.

His videos had got a special feature of Usman Tariq and Cameron Green parody a few months ago. He finally meets Usman Tariq, who is playing the Vitality Blast in England right now.

And how did I come to know about Wizard the Wicketkeeper? He was one of my subscribers on one of my YouTube channels.

Hello and welcome back to Guess the Player!

The answer to the last post of this series was Bilawal Bhatti! The only one to get it right is: u/Due-Finding4397.

Today is my last post of this segment, it will be continued by someone who wants to continue it. I won't be active here for the next two months, I'll try my best to contribute to this sub though. Thanks to u/Downtown_Bat7013 for starting this segment, and then, u/MoreCryptographer213*,* u/superioritycornflks*,* u/Normal_Signature_500 and u/Due-Finding4397*, for supporting me throughout this journey.*

Congratulations to all of you guys who got it right.

Before we begin, here’s a quick refresher on the rules:

Rules:

Welcome to Guess the Cricketer!
I’ll post clues about a cricket player, and your job is to figure out who it is.

1. One guess per comment.
2. No editing guesses after posting to change your answer.
3. Use spoiler tags when posting your answer so others can still play.

How to Use Spoilers on Reddit:

Type your answer like this:

>!Babar Azam!<

It will appear like this: >!Babar Azam!<

Important:

• Any answer not hidden with spoilers may be removed (or ignored).
• No hints in comments unless asked.
• Don’t reveal the answer openly.
• Please also mention the clue which helped you guess the player, that too hidden with a spoiler.

Example Reply:

“I think it’s >!Shaheen Afridi!<.”

Alright, now it's time for some clues on today's cricketer!

• I am a right arm spin bowler, having represented Pakistan in all three formats.
• I have been part of Pakistan squad for 4 ICC Events.
• I have represented 4 teams in Pakistan Super League.
• I was presented my Test debut cap by then head coach of Pakistan Cricket team.

PCB uploaded the highlights of Pakistan vs. New Zealand 2023 T20I series 1st T20I game at Lahore a few days ago.

When I watched it, I saw something unique, Saim Ayub the batter, this is something we haven't seen since 2024. Saim Ayub looked confident in his shots, he would play pacers and spinners with the same ease, despite coming in a difficult situation on number 4, with both openers dismissed early. Even though he had the experienced Fakhar Zaman on the other side to guide and help him, but he played an innings we expect a senior batsman to play when it is time to rebuild the innings in T20I cricket.

Whilst I agree, that Saim was given a lot of chances in T20I cricket, and he failed to cash on most of them. He has performed in perhaps 10% of the 70 odd T20Is he has played, and this is a good sample size in international cricket.

But still, this doesn't change the fact that he is still a good option as opener in ODIs, and he should continue to play for Pakistan in ODI cricket, it is not time to try out new options, with Sahibzada Farhan nowhere near his best in the 6 ODIs he has played, Maaz Sadaqat can be a good back-up opener, and in my opinion, Fakhar Zaman and Saim Ayub should be the number 1 choice for Pakistan in ODIs.

Hello and welcome back to Guess the Player!

The answer to the last post of this series was Taufeeq Umar! Nearly all of you got it right, with the first three to get it correct are:  u/MoreCryptographer213, u/Due-Finding4397 and u/Soulfox56.

Today is my second last post of this segment, it will be continued by someone who wants to continue it.

Congratulations to all of you guys who got it right.

Before we begin, here’s a quick refresher on the rules:

Rules:

Welcome to Guess the Cricketer!
I’ll post clues about a cricket player, and your job is to figure out who it is.

1. One guess per comment.
2. No editing guesses after posting to change your answer.
3. Use spoiler tags when posting your answer so others can still play.

How to Use Spoilers on Reddit:

Type your answer like this:

>!Babar Azam!<

It will appear like this: >!Babar Azam!<

Important:

• Any answer not hidden with spoilers may be removed (or ignored).
• No hints in comments unless asked.
• Don’t reveal the answer openly.
• Please also mention the clue which helped you guess the player, that too hidden with a spoiler.

Example Reply:

“I think it’s >!Shaheen Afridi!<.”

Alright, now it's time for some clues on today's cricketer!

• I am a pace bowling all-rounder.
• I have represented Pakistan in all three formats.
• I have a medal in Asian Games.
• I have been part of both Karachi Kings and Lahore Qalandars.

Hello and welcome back to Guess the Player!

The answer to the last post of this series was Sami Aslam! All of you got it right, with the first three to get it correct are: u/Ghostly_100, u/Due-Finding4397 and u/MoreCryptographer213.

Congratulations to all of you guys who got it right.

Before we begin, here’s a quick refresher on the rules:

Rules:

Welcome to Guess the Cricketer!
I’ll post clues about a cricket player, and your job is to figure out who it is.

1. One guess per comment.
2. No editing guesses after posting to change your answer.
3. Use spoiler tags when posting your answer so others can still play.

How to Use Spoilers on Reddit:

Type your answer like this:

>!Babar Azam!<

It will appear like this:>!Babar Azam!<

Important:

• Any answer not hidden with spoilers may be removed (or ignored).
• No hints in comments unless asked.
• Don’t reveal the answer openly.
• Please also mention the clue which helped you guess the player, that too hidden with a spoiler.

Example Reply:

“I think it’s >!Shaheen Afridi!<.”

Alright, now it's time for some clues on today's cricketer!

• I am a southpaw opening batter
• Played more than 60 international matches for Pakistan
• I had a good reputation of batting well on bouncy pitches.
• I played my first and last Test match in Asia.

Hello and welcome back to Guess the Player!

The answer to the last post of this series was Tabish Khan! Only three of you got it right: u/Due-Finding4397 u/MoreCryptographer213 and u/Soulfox56.

Congratulations to all of you guys who got it right.

Before we begin, here’s a quick refresher on the rules:

Rules:

Welcome to Guess the Cricketer!
I’ll post clues about a cricket player, and your job is to figure out who it is.

1. One guess per comment.
2. No editing guesses after posting to change your answer.
3. Use spoiler tags when posting your answer so others can still play.

How to Use Spoilers on Reddit:

Type your answer like this:

>!Babar Azam!<

It will appear like this: >!Babar Azam!<

Important:

• Any answer not hidden with spoilers may be removed (or ignored).
• No hints in comments unless asked.
• Don’t reveal the answer openly.
• Please also mention the clue which helped you guess the player, that too hidden with a spoiler.

Example Reply:

“I think it’s >!Shaheen Afridi!<.”

Alright, now it's time for some clues on today's cricketer!

• I am a southpaw batter.
• I had good domestic stats but couldn't translate the same form into international cricket.
• I played both my first and last Test matches in Asia.
• I have represented Pakistan in fewer than 20 international matches.

Pakistan's upcoming Test tour of the West Indies (July-August) will pose a difficult situation for the selection committee. For decades, West Indies cricket has remained synonymous with fast bowling. From Andy Roberts, Joel Garner, to Malcolm Marshall and Curtly Ambrose, these pacers had their own aura. While the overall fortunes of West Indies cricket have declined since those dominant years, that does not mean the region has stopped producing quality fast bowlers.

In fact, the current West Indies side still possesses an impressive group of seamers. Jayden Seales, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph and Anderson Phillip all have genuine pace, aggression and the ability to make the most of helpful conditions.

Recent performances have reinforced that reputation. Jayden Seales and Shamar Joseph played major roles against both South Africa and Australia, while Seales and Anderson Phillip finished among the leading wicket-takers in the 2026 West Indies Championship (First-class tournament). These are bowlers who will surely dominate in their home conditions.

Pakistan have already received a slight glimpse of that challenge. During last year's ODI series at Trinidad's Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Jayden Seales repeatedly troubled Pakistan's batters with his pace and swing with the new ball. If similar conditions are available during the Test series, Pakistan's top order can expect an even difficult test.

As Pakistan prepare for the series, the selectors will need to answer a crucial question: how should they design their squad to replicate the 2017 Test series win or 2021 Test series draw?

The answer may lie in studying recent red-ball cricket in the region.

Australia's 2025 Test tour of the West Indies provided a timely reminder of how difficult Caribbean conditions can be for batters where Australia won the three match Test series 3-0 while batting first each time.

Across the series, Australia recorded scores of 180, 310, 286, 243, 225 and 121. The West Indies managed 190, 141, 253, 143, 143 and 27.

Those numbers tell a compelling story. Across twelve completed innings, only one score exceeded 300. The West Indies crossed 200 only once. Batting was far from easy, while pacers had their say.

Australia initially fielded a bowling attack of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon, supported by all-rounders Cameron Green and Beau Webster. Yet in the final pink-ball Test, they decided that a fourth pacer Scott Boland should be playing and he replaced Lyon. The decision bore fruit as Australia bowled West Indies for just 27, the lowest score by a team in a completed innings in the 21^(st) century, and the 2^(nd) lowest in the history of Test Cricket, with Mitchell Starc taking 6/9 and Scott Boland claiming a hat-trick.

The lesson was simple. Bat first, survive, put a good score, and bowl out the opposition.

South Africa's 2024 tour to West Indies offered another useful case study.

The first Test at Trinidad was relatively balanced. South Africa posted 357 in their first innings, while West Indies replied with 233. Spinners were influential, particularly Keshav Maharaj, who claimed four wickets in each innings, while Jomel Warrican also played a significant role, but in the second innings, South Africa scored a brisk 173/3d in just 29 overs, where Jomel Warrican conceded runs at an economy of over six in his 9 overs. Chasing a target of 298, WI batsmen managed to score 201/5, and the match was drawn.

The second Test, however, was a completely different contest.

South Africa were dismissed for 160, and the West Indies replied with 144. Pace bowlers Shamar Joseph, Jayden Seales, Kagiso Rabada, Nandre Burger and Wiaan Mulder dominated proceedings with the ball. South Africa responded with 246 in the next innings where Jayden Seales took 6 wickets, and West Indies fell short by 40 runs, chasing 263 runs in the 4^(th) innings. Spinners Maharaj and Dane Piedt took a total of five wickets in this innings.

Even though Keshav Maharaj took 13 wickets in this series, and spin showing it’s importance here, but it still doesn’t change the fact that pace is also important here.

The 2026 West Indies Championship also presents a slightly different version of the story.

The 6 team competition produced average first-innings scores of around 316, second-innings scores of around 360, third-innings scores of around 234, and fourth-innings scores of around 217. At first glance, those figures suggest decent batting conditions.

However, only two successful fourth-innings chases were recorded throughout the tournament. Four matches ended in innings victories, while another three were won by runs. 3 games ended as a draw out of a total of 12 games.

Among the leading wicket-takers were spin bowler Gudakesh Motie taking 27 wickets at an average of 15, fast medium pacer Anderson Phillip taking 25 wickets at an average of 21, and pacer Jayden Seales picking up 23 wickets at an average of just 13.

The statistics suggest that both pace and spin can be effective.

Another challenge facing Pakistan is the Duke's ball.

The Duke's ball generally retains its shape for longer and can provide sustained seam movement compared to other balls. When combined with the hot and humid Caribbean weather, it has the potential to deteriorate earlier than usual (for conditions like England), and create more problems for batters.

Pakistan pace bowlers do have good experience bowling with the Duke’s ball, either in the County Championship, or the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy where the Duke’s ball is also used. Mohammad Abbas, who will head the pace attack has built a good reputation in the county setup with his accuracy and swing bowling with the Duke’s ball. Khurram Shahzad too has gained experience from county cricket while bowling with the Duke’s ball, while in Pakistan, Saqib Khan finished as the best pacer in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, taking 47 wickets, while Mohammad Ali, who has improved himself, both in terms of pace and skill, he too has experience bowling with the Duke’s ball in red-ball cricket. This means that Pakistan pacers won’t face any difficulty with the ball.

One thing to keep in mind is the weather. The West Indies Championship was played during April and May, a comparatively drier period which provides more assistance to spinners, and the pitch is more suitable to bat on, as compared to the one in rainy seasons. Pakistan's tour, however, is scheduled for July and August, which fall within the Caribbean rainy season.

In Trinidad, July and August regularly bring significant rainfall while maintaining warm temperatures and heavy humidity. Such conditions will help swing and seam bowling throughout a match. Pacers will enjoy the natural help and will look to dominate in such conditions.

The biggest mistake Pakistan could make would be selecting their squad without assessing the situation properly. With the West Indies-Sri Lanka Test series starting by the end of this month, they should carefully monitor the games, study the behaviour of the pitches and pay close attention to how batsmen survive against pace in such conditions.

Fortunately for Pakistan, there is a 4-day warm-up game for the Pakistan team to play with West Indies A, before the 2 match Test series starts. If innings are regularly ending within 70 to 80 overs and surfaces are offering seam movement throughout the day, Pakistan should field four specialist pace bowlers and take advantage of the conditions.

If the pitches appear to be slower or flatter and a single batting innings lasts longer than expected, then a specialist spinner should be included in the playing XI.

The key is that how Pakistan management reads the situation and conditions before making decisions regarding the selection of the playing XI.

If I were to select the Test squad for the West Indies Test series, I would select the following players: Salman Ali Agha (C), Shan Masood, Imam-ul-Haq, Azan Awais, Abdullah Fazal, Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Ghazi Ghori, Aamir Jamal, Mohammad Abbas, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Ali, Saqib Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Ali Usman.

P.S. I didn’t include any outside player (from the 22 player red-ball camp) like Kamran Ghulam, Mir Hamza or Afaq Afridi, even though I want them playing in the team, but I don’t see them anywhere in PCB’s plans for the near future.

I have opted to have Salman Ali Agha as the captain in this Test series, Shan Masood isn’t in the best of his batting form, and his captaincy isn’t good either, besides, if we want to take benefit from Shan Masood the batter, we should relieve him from the pressure of captaincy, and in this case, we are left with only Salman Ali Agha as the captaincy option.

Azan Awais, Imam-ul-Haq / Shan Masood, Abdullah Fazal, Babar Azam, Ghazi Ghori, Salman Ali Agha (C), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Aamir Jamal, Mohammad Abbas, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Ali

The thinking behind this combination is straightforward. Azan Awais, obviously because of his century on debut just 2 Test matches ago. Imam-ul-Haq or Shan Masood should open the innings, personally I would prefer Shan Masood to open the innings, and negotiate the new-ball pressure. On number 3, Abdullah Fazal should bat, because he scored twin scores of 60+ on his Test debut on the same batting position, in the pace friendly wicket of Dhaka. However, in the very next game at Sylhet, where he came to open the innings, he couldn’t get a good score, therefore, it isn’t necessary that a domestic opener should always open, if he feels comfortable on number 3, it is completely fine.

On number 4, we have Babar Azam, he looked back in form, in the Sylhet Test against Bangladesh, and Pakistan will trust him to rescue at times of collapse and rebuild. I didn’t pick Saud Shakeel in the Test squad, and therefore, I will play Ghazi Ghori on number 5 as a middle-order batsman, he was among the top scorers of the latest President’s First-Class competition, besides the kind of responsibility he showed with the bat against Australia in the home ODI series, in difficult batting conditions, Pakistan can trust him to absorb pressure in the middle-order. On number 6, we have Salman Ali Agha, yet to prove himself in the 2^(nd) batting innings in Test Cricket, he has an average of nearly 50 in the first batting innings, but in the  2^(nd) innings, this average nearly reduces to half, he showed some capability to bat well in the 4^(th) innings, with 71 in the Sylhet Test against Bangladesh, even though Pakistan lost the game. Mohammad Rizwan as wicket-keeper on 7, he scored two fifties in the Bangladesh Tests, and he is one of the most experienced red-ball cricketers of Pakistan, and the management will trust him with the gloves.

On number 8, I have preferred Aamir Jamal, he will add value with the bat, he is a good pace bowler too, and we saw him bowl very well in his debut Test series in Australia. On number 9, there is the red-ball GOAT Mohammad Abbas, who will lead the pace attack, on number 10 is Khurram Shahzad, he is known for his accuracy in line and length, while on number 11, Mohammad Ali is there, he bowled consistently over 140 kmph in PSL, whilst it is another question that if he can sustain those speeds over a bowling spell of over 7 to 8 overs in Test Cricket, but he is certainly an improved bowler than before.

However, if the conditions do favour spin, then Ali Usman should play instead of Aamir Jamal, he was the highest wicket-taker of the last edition of Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, with nearly 50 wickets, and as we saw left arm spin bowlers, like Gudakesh Motie, Jomel Warrican and Keshav Maharaj succeed in the past in these conditions, therefore he will be preferred over Abrar Ahmed.

Pakistan's success in this Test series solely depends on one thing, that Pakistan read the conditions correctly, and make the right decisions, and take advantage of the conditions.

Pakistan Zindabad!

Hello and welcome back to Guess the Player!

The answer to the last post of this series was the legendary Umar Gul! Only one of you got it right: u/MoreCryptographer213.

A special thanks to u/superioritycornflks for helping with the clues for today's player.

Congratulations to all of you guys who got it right.

Before we begin, here’s a quick refresher on the rules:

Rules:

Welcome to Guess the Cricketer!
I’ll post clues about a cricket player, and your job is to figure out who it is.

1. One guess per comment.
2. No editing guesses after posting to change your answer.
3. Use spoiler tags when posting your answer so others can still play.

How to Use Spoilers on Reddit:

Type your answer like this:

>!Babar Azam!<

It will appear like this: >!Babar Azam!<

Important:

• Any answer not hidden with spoilers may be removed (or ignored).
• No hints in comments unless asked.
• Don’t reveal the answer openly.
• Please also mention the clue which helped you guess the player, that too hidden with a spoiler.

Example Reply:

“I think it’s >!Shaheen Afridi!<.”

Alright, now it's time for some clues on today's cricketer!

• I am a right arm pace-bowler.
• I was part of Karachi Kings in PSL
• I was presented my Test debut cap by then head coach.
• My first name is the same as that of a host of a Pakistani entertainment TV show.

Hello and welcome back to Guess the Player!

The answer to the last post of this series was the legendary Sarfaraz Ahmed! All of you got it right. The first three to get it right are, u/Due-Finding4397, u/MoreCryptographer213, u/Soulfox56.

A special thanks to u/superioritycornflks for helping with the clues for today's player.

Congratulations to all of you guys who got it right.

Before we begin, here’s a quick refresher on the rules:

Rules:

Welcome to Guess the Cricketer!
I’ll post clues about a cricket player, and your job is to figure out who it is.

1. One guess per comment.
2. No editing guesses after posting to change your answer.
3. Use spoiler tags when posting your answer so others can still play.

How to Use Spoilers on Reddit:

Type your answer like this:

>!Babar Azam!<

It will appear like this: >!Babar Azam!<

Important:

• Any answer not hidden with spoilers may be removed (or ignored).
• No hints in comments unless asked.
• Don’t reveal the answer openly.
• Please also mention the clue which helped you guess the player, that too hidden with a spoiler.

Example Reply:

“I think it’s >!Shaheen Afridi!<.”

Alright, now it's time for some clues on today's cricketer!

• I am a right arm pace-bowler.
• My favourite format was Test Cricket.
• I have coached Pakistan team and the same PSL franchise I played for.
• I was part of the pace trio which was known as 'Fire'!