Former South African cricketer Mickey Arthur, who also coached the Pakistani side between 2016-2019, is reportedly set to return to the coaching unit of the Babar Azam-led side. He has accepted the offer kept forward by newly appointed Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Najam Sethi and is likely to take up the role soon.

Also Read: Saqlain Mushtaq to step down as Pakistan head coach after New Zealand series, Babar Azam to lose his Test captaincy

The former Proteas cricketer was contacted by Sethi, the head of the PCB's 14-member management committee, regarding his position in the new system. Arthur is reportedly set to join the squad prior to the eighth edition of the Pakistan Super League. Notably, Pakistan lifted the Champions Trophy in 2017 under Arthur's mentorship.

The current PCB management is restructuring the organization and has fired the selection committee, which was directed by Mohammad Wasim. Former cricketer Shahid Afridi has been appointed as interim chief selector. The reports by Pakistan's Geo TV also reveal that it has been decided not to renew the contracts of head coach Saqlain Mushtaq and bowling coach Shaun Tait.

The Pakistan team, meanwhile, is hosting New Zealand for a two-match Test series. The first game started on Boxing Day, which is December 26. While teams are currently competing to make their way into the World Test Championship Finals, Pakistan is on the brink of elimination. Defending champions New Zealand, on the other hand, have already been knocked out.

"Our entire focus is on the ground and how to win a match" - Babar Azam

Babar Azam spoke to the media ahead of the first Test. He opened up about the numerous changes happening in the Pakistani setup as he said:

"The way things are going on and in the last few days changes have come, I think as a professional you are to face such things. But our job is to perform and to apply our best. Look, these things are off the ground and our entire focus is on the ground and how to win a match and how to start well this series, and how to deliver in all three departments," Babar was quoted by Geo Tv.

Indian ODI team captain Rohit Sharma has reached the second position in the men's ICC ODI rankings. In the new rankings released by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Wednesday, the Hitman jumped one place and reached the second position. With this, he left behind Pakistan's star batsman Babar Azam. 

Also Read: Most Ducks by an Indian in Tests

Rohit last played in March

Rohit, who has already retired from Tests and T20I, last played an ODI in March during the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 final against New Zealand, which India won.

Rohit has scored 180 runs in the ICC Champions Trophy in five matches, boasting a highest strike rate of 100.00 among the Indian batters in the tournament. Rohit has 756 rating points in the latest rankings.

Babar failed to perform against West Indies

On the other hand, Babar could not show anything special in the recent ODI series against West Indies, which the Men in Green lost 1-2 in Trinidad. As a result, he slipped to the third position.

With Babar managing just 56 runs against West Indies in three ODIs, the International Cricket Council (ICC) took a note of his strike rate to drop him to third. He managed a strike rate of just 62.22 against West Indies.

Gill at No. 1

There has been no change in Shubman Gill's reign in the latest ICC ODI rankings for batters. He is in first place with 784 rating points. Apart from Gill and Rohit, the third Indian in the top five is Virat Kohli, who is in fourth place. He has 736 rating points.

India continues to dominate the ODI charts, with five players in the top 15, including Shreyas Iyer (8th) and KL Rahul (15th).

Also Read: Shreyas Iyer's best knocks in Tests

India to play next ODI series against Australia

It is worth mentioning that the Indian team will tour Australia in October. During this time a three-match ODI series will be played between the two.

Rohit announced after Champions Trophy 2025 that he does not intend to retire from ODI cricket, even sharing a moment with Kohli joking about it during the celebrations.

However, despite having eyes on the 2027 Cricket World Cup, Rohit and Kohli's spots are reportedly not a guarantee in the ODI setup. In fact, as per reports in recent days, the veteran duo will also have to turn up in domestic cricket as a metric for form and fitness.

On the other hand, whether Rohit will continue to be captain till the World Cup is also a topic of debate. With 25-year-old Shubman Gill impressing in England, Rohit isn't an automatic captaincy selection anymore. However, the ODI rankings continue to reflect both Rohit and Kohli's continued prowess in the 50-over format.

The World Test Championship was started in 2019 to make Test cricket interesting. The Championship has changed the way Test Cricket is being played. Teams like England and India, along with Australia, have shown their aggressive brand of cricket. 

South Africa are the current winner of the ICC World Test Championship. New Zealand and Australia have won the World Test Championships in the first two editions, while India played the final on both occasions.

Joe Root, the former test captain of England, has scored the most test centuries (21) in the World Test Championship.

Here are the players with the most Test centuries in the World Test Championship.

1. Joe Root | 21

England's Joe Root has the most Test centuries in the World Test Championship. So far, he has scored 21 centuries in 126 innings of 69 matches. Root is also the batsman who has scored the most runs in this tournament, with 6080 runs at an average of 52.86.

Till now, Root is the only batter to score more than 6000 runs in WTC history.

His best knock came against India in 2021 when he scored 228 in Chennai to help his side win the game. 

Read Also: Fav four in cricket: Kohli vs Root vs Williamson vs Smith overall stats

2. Steven Smith | 13

Australia's Steve Smith has now scored the most test centuries in the World Test Championship. The Aussie top-order batter has been one of the best test batters of this generation and has scored runs all around the world.

Smith is known for his unorthodox and yet effective batting style, which keeps on annoying the opponent's bowling lineups.

Till now in WTC, Steve Smith has scored 4225 runs at an outstanding average of 50.29, including 13 test centuries.

Read Also | Most Test Runs in Cricket History (Men's)

3. Marnus Labuschagne | 11

Australia's Marnus Labuschagne has scored 11 centuries in his Test career, and all have been scored in the World Test Championship. In 53 matches, he has scored 4225 runs at an average of 48.01 during the Test Championship.

Marnus used to have his test average over 50. However, a recent dip in form, which also led to him being dropped from the test side as well, brought his batting average down. 

Still, he is the batter with the second-most test centuries and third-most runs in WTC history so far. 

4. Kane Williamson | 11

Kane Williamson has batted amazingly in the World Test Championship. He has played only 28 matches so far in this tournament, but has managed to score 11 centuries in his 50 innings. 

Williamson has the best average (61.34) among the batsmen who have scored at least 2000 runs in the World Test Championship. During the Test match versus South Africa, the former Kiwi skipper scored two tons in the same game. 

Williamson, with 33 test centuries, is the batter with the third most test centuries among active batters. 

5. Rohit Sharma | 9

Former Indian test captain Rohit Sharma is the only Indian batter included in the 'most Test centuries in the World Test Championship' list.

Before retiring from the format, Rohit played 40 matches during the Test Championship since 2019. In his 69 innings, he has scored 9 centuries and 8 half-centuries with his bat.

With 2716 runs in the World Test Championship in just 40 Tests, Rohit is the highest scorer for India in WTC history so far, with an average is 41.15. Rohit Sharma's all of 9 test tons in WTC came in winning cause for India. 

Also Read: Most Test Hundreds for India since 2021

6. Harry Brook | 9

Currently, the ICC No.1 Men's test batter, Harry Brook, comes at number six on our list of players with the most test centuries in the World Test Championship. 

The English youngster has just played 26 test matches during the WTC cycles and has scored 9 centuries so far. 

Apart from Joe Root, he has been the shining armour of the English batting lineup in the last two seasons. Brook, till now, has scored 2424 test runs in WTC at an average of 55.09, with an outstanding strike rate of 84.54, the highest in WTC history. 

Read Also | Top 10 Underrated Cricketers Who Can Surprise You in 2025

7. Shubman Gill | 9

Before starting his tenure as the captain of the Indian men's test cricket team, Shubman Gill was nowhere on this list of batters with the most test hundreds in WTC history. 

Read Also | Every record Shubman Gill broke during the ENG vs IND, 2nd test at Edgbaston

But as he wore the blazer of the Indian team, he was a different beast. In the first two tests as captain, he hit three centuries, which also had a highest score of 269, the highest by any Indian test captain. 

Till now, in 37 tests in WTC, Gill has scored 2647 runs at an average of 41.35, including 9 test tons. 

8. Babar Azam | 8

The former Pakistan skipper has scored 8 centuries during the World Test Championship cycle. Babar Azam is the sixth in the list of batters with the most test centuries in WTC history.

In 36 matches, he has also scored 2998 runs at an average of 48.35 during the Test Championship.

The 29-year-old isn’t in the greatest of form currently, but on his day, Babar Azam is a delight to watch.

One of his most memorable knocks came against Australia in Karachi in 2022. Babar scored 196 while chasing a huge total in the 4th inning of the game.

9. Dhananjaya de Silva | 8

Sri Lanka's Dhananjaya De Silva might be one of the surprising names on this list.

The Sri Lanka captain has been one of the best batters for his country despite lacking support from the other end, most of the time.

So far, he has scored 8 centuries in 62 innings of 35 matches. Dhananjaya also scored 2509 runs, with an average of 44.80, during the Test Championship. Dhananjaya is also one of the active players with the most test centuries currently. 

Also Read: Most Wickets in Test Cricket

10. Travis Head | 8

Travis Head, the swashbuckling left-handed batter, has also scored 8 test tons during the World Test Championship cycle. The Aussie batter is one of the most dangerous middle-order batters in the world at the moment in test cricket. 

Till now, in 51 matches in WTC, Head has scored 3264 runs at an average of 40.80, with a strike-rate of 72.85. Head also scored 15 fifties during the World Test Championship. 

Head's 7 out of 8 test tons during the WTC came in a winning cause for Australia.

Read Also | Every heated moment of IPL 2025 that you missed

11. Usman Khawaja | 8

Australian opener Usman Khawaja has hit 8 centuries during the World Test Championship cycle.

In 42 matches, he has scored 3251 runs at an average of 45.78. The Southpaw batter is a treat to watch when he is in song and has restored his career with some outstanding scores for the current WTC champions.

He was also the second-highest-scoring batsman in the 2021–2023 WTC cycle with 1,621 runs, the highest by an Australian batsman.

The hashtag #BoycottAsiaCup is trending on X (formerly Twitter) as Indian cricket fans and social media users express outrage over India’s scheduled match against Pakistan in the 2025 Asia Cup. The tournament is set to take place from September 9 to 28 in the UAE, with India and Pakistan placed in the same group and likely to face each other up to a possible three times during the event.

The backlash boosted following the tragic terrorist attack in Pahalgam in April 2025, which claimed 26 civilian lives, and India’s subsequent military response, Operation Sindoor. Many Indian fans see the decision to play Pakistan as insensitive and accuse the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) of prioritising commercial attractions over national sentiment. This has led to calls for the BCCI to boycott the Asia Cup to uphold a stance against Pakistan's involvement amid ongoing geopolitical tensions.

Enough of this nonsense. #BoycottAsiaCup https://t.co/onAFIGwMju

— Aditya Saha (@Adityakrsaha) July 26, 2025

Criticism has also targeted Indian players and officials for inconsistency, such as their boycott of a recent World Championship of Legends match against Pakistan, but their willingness to play in the Asia Cup. The controversy reflects the wider debate about whether sports should remain separate from political issues between the two nations.

If Terror and Talks Can’t go Together then Terror and Cricket can’t go together. #BoycottAsiaCup #BoycottBCCI pic.twitter.com/sbPzjXOHMH

— BRADDY (@braddy_Codie05) July 26, 2025

Asia Cup 2025 full schedule

The Bangladesh vs Pakistan T20I series is all set to start from 20th July 2025. The 3-match T20I series will be played in Mirpur, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Before the series starts, we present you with the list of players with the most T20I runs for Bangladesh against Pakistan.

Most T20I runs for Bangladesh against Pakistan

Currently, Shakib-Al-Hasan leads the chart of players with the most T20I runs for Bangladesh against Pakistan. Not only that, Shakib is also the Bangladeshi batter with the most T20I runs for the Tigers. 

#5 Mohammed Nazimuddin | 123 runs

• 2 matches
• 123 runs
• 61.50 avg.
• 125.51 strike-rate

Nazimuddin, who played only two T20I games for Bangladesh against Pakistan way back in 2007-08, has scored 123 runs with a stunning average of 61.50. 

Interestingly, despite performing well in that Pakistan tour of Bangladesh in 2008, he was dropped from the T20I side and never played in that format for his country. 

The right-handed top-order batter even scored a fifty in his two games for Bangladesh against Pakistan. His career-best of 81 also came against Pakistan. Due to his competition with other opening batters and a slow strike-rate, he could not find a place in the team.

Read Also | Soumya Sarkar Breaks Sachin Tendulkar's 14-Year-Old Record In 2nd ODI vs New Zealand

 #4 Afif Hossain | 186 runs

• 9 matches
• 186 runs
• 23.25 avg.
• 109.41 strike-rate

The left-handed batter scored 186 runs in 9 matches for Bangladesh against Pakistan. 

Although he has already played 70 T20I matches for the Tigers, he has not been able to do justice to the talent he has. Hossain first played against Pakistan in 2020 and last played in the Asian Games 2024. 

 #3 Litton Das | 210 runs

• 8 matches
• 210 runs
• 26.25 avg.
• 131.25 strike-rate

The current Bangladeshi T20I captain, Litton Das, has done well in the chances he got against Pakistan. The flamboyant top-order batter has scored 210 runs in 8 matches against Pakistan at a strike-rate of 131.25. 

Litton has also hit a fifty against Pakistan in Christchurch in 2022 during the T20I tri-series between them and hosts New Zealand. 

In the upcoming BAN vs PAK T20I series, Das will get his chances to increase the number of runs. 

#2 Tamim Iqbal | 235 runs

• 11 matches
• 235 runs
• 21.36 avg.
• 120.51 strike-rate

There are hardly any T20I stats for Bangladesh where Tamim Iqbal does not appear. The former left-handed opener and part of the 'Golden era' of Bangladesh cricket, scored 235 runs in 11 matches for Bangladesh against Pakistan. 

He was the first Bangladeshi batter to score a T20I hundred. 

From 2007 to 2020, Tamim scored at a 120.51 strike rate against Pakistan, which is higher than his career T20I strike rate of 116.96. His only fifty against Pakistan came in his last inning against the neighbours in Lahore in 2020.

Read Also | Who scored the fastest century in T20 World Cups?

#1 Shakib-Al-Hasan | 360 runs

• 11 matches
• 360 runs
• 40 avg.
• 132.35 strike-rate

Probably the greatest Bangladeshi player, Shakib-Al-Hasan, has always proved himself against better opponents. The left-handed all-rounder has scored the most T20I runs for Bangladesh against Pakistan.

Not only that, his 2551 T20I runs are also a record for any Bangladeshi batter. 

In 11 matches against Pakistan, Shakib scored 360 runs, including four fifties, at an outstanding average of 40.00. He also had a strike rate of 132.35 against the Pakistani team. 

In fact, Shakib has scored the most T20I runs against Pakistan in his career. 

The ICC cricket World Cup is the second most popular sport event in the world after the FIFA World Cup and Rugby World Cup. The cricket match played in the ICC World Cup between India and Pakistan is always a high voltage match. India always defeated Pakistan in the World Cup match either in the 50 over format or in the T-20 format.

The cricket match between India and Pakistan is the most sought after game in any tournament. Even cricket experts term this game as important as the final of the tournament. Any match between India and Pakistan is a game for the ages, considering the tough lineup of both teams and the relations between the two countries.

Also Read: Virat Kohli vs Babar Azam in ICC tournaments | Details Stats

In this article we will take a look at the head-to-head stats of India vs Pakistan in World Cups history.

India vs Pakistan in World Cups

India vs Pakistan in ODI World Cup

India and Pakistan have the most famous rivalry in cricket and every game is viewed by hundreds of millions of cricket fans across the globe. They have faced each other 8 times in the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup and all the games have been won by India. The most vital game was the 2011 World Cup semi-final in which India emerged the winners by 29 runs.

India vs Pakistan in T20 World Cup

India and Pakistan have met each other eight times in the previous eight editions of the T20 World Cup. The Men in Blue continue to hold the upper hand with six wins, while Pakistan have only grabbed a solitary win against India at the 2021 T20 World Cup. The inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007 saw a tied match between India and Pakistan with the former winning the bowl out 3-0.

Also Read: ICC Trophy winners list year-wise (2000-2025)