The PCB has been left astonished by the bizarre behavior of former chairman and Pakistani cricketer Ramiz Raja, who even made a false pitch report before the first ODI between Pakistan and South Africa in Faisalabad.
Pakistan is currently hosting South Africa for a lengthy series across all three formats of the game.
However, they only faced the main South African team in the red ball format while they are playing with their third-tier team in the remaining two formats as the big names prepare for the crucial series against India, starting on the 14th this month.
Pakistan finished the Test series tied 1–1 and then won the T20I series by a margin of 2–1; He came from behind and lifted the trophy. The ODI matches began on 4 November and they are leading with a 2-wicket win in the first ODI at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad.
Ramiz Raja keeps fans guessing with his strange behavior during match pitch report
Before the proceedings of the Pakistan vs South Africa match began, former Pakistan cricketer turned administrator and former PCB chairman, Ramiz Raja, took to the field for a pitch report along with a fellow commentator.
However, as Ramiz Raja approached the pitch, he was seen behaving strangely. They put pressure on the pitch and pass judgment on the nature of the pitch.
While doing so, he used strange hand gestures and made some silly comments at fellow commentators. Without the help of his fellow commentator he could not even see the camera.
Pakistan cricket fans have been shocked by such behaviour, while some have expressed their anger saying that they should not even be allowed to enter the ground during the game.
Who let this man into the stadium pic.twitter.com/c441mrSXKT
– Smudge (@faseee17) 4 November 2025
‘This pitch will spin a lot’: Decision gone wrong for former PCB chairman
Ramiz Raja had completely misjudged the conditions while assessing the pitch and giving his verdict on the pitch report. The playing eleven included four spinners for the Pakistan team and two spinners for the Protea team.
Ramiz Raja said, “The smartest pitch report ever recorded because I can explain the conditions in one sentence. It’s going to spin a lot (not that much, not that much, but this much, indicating the boundary using hand gestures).
It was a futile decision from Ramiz Raja, as only 8 of the 18 wickets that fell in the game were taken by the spinners. Pakistan’s spinner Abrar Ahmed took 3 wickets, Saim Ayub took 2 wickets and Mohammad Nawaz also took one wicket. Both South African spinners had only one apiece.
Pakistan overtakes South Africa in a thrilling match in Faisalabad
South Africa batted first, and Quinton de Kock, who is returning to international cricket after his retirement, scored 63 runs, the highest for a Protea batsman. The opening partnership lasted for a long time and Luhan de Pretorius also scored a half-century.
The momentum of the innings could not be sustained and Matthew Bretzky missed a half-century for the first time in his ODI career. Corbin Bosch added 41 runs in the death overs.
For Pakistan, their top order contributed modestly, but most of the scoring came between former captain Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Ali Aga. They passed South Africa’s total with both half-centuries.
This is Pakistan’s first win in an ODI match after the appointment of Shaheen Afridi as the full-time captain of Pakistan.
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