Pakistan had won the toss v New Zealand in Super 8s game and chosen to bat first before ranis came.
Former Pakistan cricketers Basit Ali, Shoaib Malik, and Tanvir Ahmed questioned the decisions made by Pakistan and captain Salman Ali Agha in their washed-out game of the 2026 T20 World Cup Super 8s stage against New Zealand in Colombo on February 21, 2026.
Salman Ali Agha and Mitchell Santner had come for the toss, which the Pakistan captain won and chose to bat first. However, not a single ball was bowled, as heavy rain caused the game to be abandoned, and points were shared.
Former Pakistani players protested fiercely after the match was canceled. Tanvir Ahmed, an ex-pacer, stated that it was probably best that the match did not take place because no one knows what the outcome would have been.
He openly attacked Pakistan captain Salman Agha's toss decision. He stated that in such inclement weather, any captain who wins the toss would want to field first. According to him, batting first in those conditions made no sense.
“It’s good that the match didn’t happen. I don’t know whether the team would have won or lost; I have no idea about that. But before that, the decision you made after winning the toss—what was that? In all the cricket I have played, in such conditions, when you win the toss, you choose to field first,” Tanvir Ahmed said on a Pakistan TV show.
Veteran all-rounder Shoaib Malik also believed that the decision demonstrated the mental impact of Pakistan's previous loss to India. He stated that the defeat against India was so severe that its consequences are still obvious in the team's mindset.
“Pakistan’s decision to bat after winning the toss, in my opinion, shows that the setback from the Pakistan-India match was so big that its effects are still visible today,” Shoaib Malik said.
Basit Ali, a former cricketer, went even further with his criticism. He questioned the team's strategy, calling the decision to bat first in rainy conditions a "stupid decision." According to him, chasing is simpler in a rain-soaked contest since you know the DLS target ahead of you.
“What is your plan? Against India, you choose to bowl first, and today you win the toss and decide to bat, maybe out of fear. There is rain around and a chance of a shortened game. In my opinion, this is a stupid decision. When you are chasing, at least you know the D/L target in front of you, which is easier, whether your batters are capable or not. In these rainy conditions, if their seamers get the ball to seam, you will be in serious trouble,” Basit Ali said.
Pakistan will now face England in their next Super 8s game on February 24.