‘They’ve unearthed a gem’: Michael Vaughan reacts to Razaullah’s sensational ‘Razball’ blitz on Pakistan debut vs England

Razaullah Khan's explosive 81 off 63 balls, including nine sixes, helped Pakistan post 449 in their second innings at Edgbaston.

Pakistan , who had conceded a 320-run lead, forced England to return on Day 4 needing 130 runs to complete a series sweep.

Michael Vaughan praised Razaullah as a future star while criticising England 's tactics that allowed Pakistan's extraordinary lower-order fightback.

Michael Vaughan hails Razaullah: Ex-England captain calls Pakistan debutant a rare cricketing gem

Razaullah Khan showed grit and class to salvage some pride for a beleaguered Pakistan side who were bowled out for 133 in their first innings and stared down a 320-run deficit at Edgbaston.

Riding on the brilliance of Razzaullah and determined knocks from Shan Masood and Babar Azam, Pakistan got 449 in their second innings, a total that left England with a target of 130 runs to win the Test and seal the whitewash. They'll return on Day 4 to get those runs, but the fact that they couldn't finish the job on the third evening is itself a remarkable story.

Razaullah's 81 off 63 balls was the centrepiece, and BBC would honour him with the moniker of 'Razball', a close cousin of Brendon McCullum's 'Bazball'. Nine sixes in a debut Test innings, three of them off Gus Atkinson in a single over, with England's captain Joe Root at one stage resorting to placing eight fielders on the boundary in an attempt to stem the flow. It didn't work. The 21-year-old swung with the audacity of someone who hadn't been told he was supposed to be nervous, and the ball kept flying over the rope.

That nine-six tally now equals the most ever hit in a Test innings in England, matching Ben Stokes' famous 155 against Australia in the 2023 Ashes at Lord's. And for those who love a quirky statistical comparison: Razaullah struck as many sixes in this one innings as Sir Geoffrey Boycott managed across his entire 108-Test career.

Together with Mohammad Abbas, Razaullah put on a 121-run ninth-wicket stand that flipped the narrative of the match entirely. Pakistan had turned what should have been an innings defeat into a 129-run first-innings lead.

Michael Vaughan lavishes praise on Razaullah: 'They've unearthed a gem'

Michael Vaughan, the former England captain, couldn't hide how much he'd enjoyed watching this unfold. He was confident England would still get the job done, 130 is not a mountain on a pitch that has already been used, but he wasn't about to diminish what Pakistan had produced.

"England are going to win this Test match, I'm sure," Vaughan said. "But Razaullah has given Pakistan cricket some hope. They've unearthed a gem and he will be a superstar for many years."

Vaughan also reflected on the broader meaning of a day that nobody could have predicted.

"There wouldn't be any person in the world that would've thought we'd go to day four," he added. "That is what Pakistan cricket is. They have had a difficult few weeks. The team has been in turmoil. That is why I love Pakistan cricket."

He didn't spare England from criticism either, pointing to tactical decisions that allowed Pakistan's lower order to do as much damage as they did.

"England will look back at a lot of the tactics and realise they got it wrong," he opined. "The short stuff, one over of spin, the second new ball with the spinner. That day today will make the England team realise there is a long way to go to be world class."

One innings can't fix what ails Pakistan cricket, but it matters anyway

There's a temptation to let one explosive debut innings reframe an entire tour, and it shouldn't.

Pakistan have been genuinely poor for most of this series, outplayed with bat and ball, chaotic off the field, let down by poor preparation and questionable selection decisions that the captain wasn't even consulted on. One nine-six blitz from a 21-year-old doesn't erase any of that.

But it does something important. In a week where phone confiscations, disciplinary inquiries and mid-tour sackings dominated the headlines, Razaullah reminded everyone why Pakistan cricket retains a devoted global following despite everything.

A debutant number nine, in a dead rubber, hitting as many sixes as Geoffrey Boycott managed in his entire career; you can't script that. Vaughan calling him a gem isn't hyperbole; it's a fair read of what was on display.

The question now is whether Pakistan cricket's administrators are capable of building an environment where a talent like Razaullah can develop properly, rather than becoming just another name in a revolving door of young players who emerge spectacularly and then get lost in the chaos around them.

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