‘Pakistan ki cricket tabah ho jaegi’ – Basit Ali alleges mismanagement and favouritism in PCB

Basit Ali. (Photo by Rana Sajid Hussain/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali has accused the PCB (Pakistan Cricket Board) of targeting Shaheen Afridi and Mohammad Rizwan after the side’s horrid showing in the T20 World Cup 2024. Ali also lambasted Babar Azam for his captaincy in the tournament.

Pakistan crashed out of the T20 World Cup in the group stage after losing to the USA and India. The two losses meant that the USA would finish in second place in the group, eliminating the Men in Green eventually.

According to Basit, a report is being prepared against Rizwan and Afridi to save Babar. He also opined that all three players should be blamed rather than just two.

“Taeyari jo ki ja rahi hai, jo report banayi ja rahi hai woh banayi ja rahi hai Shaheen Shah Afridi aur Rizwan ke against. Inhone grouping kar di hai. Jo galat hai. Yeh jo report bana rahe hai, jinke mind me yeh cheez hai ki woh apna malba inpar daal de, aisa mat kijiye ga. Pakistan ki cricket tabaah ho jayegi. Tabaah!” Basit was quoted as saying by the Times of India

[The report is being prepared against Shaheen Afridi and (Mohammad) Rizwan that they have formed a separate group, which is wrong. Don’t put your blame on the others, otherwise, Pakistan cricket will be destroyed]

“Yeh wording issi liye abhi kah raha hoon, allah na kare ye cheez ho gayi toh aap ki bhool hai. Agar aap samajhte hai ki Rizwan, Shaheen Shah Afridi aur Babar Azam ek pitch par nahi hai. Agar aapne hatana hai toh teenon ki chhuti karey. Yeh nahi ki do ko aap kurbaani ka bakra banaye aur teesre ko aap hero bana de,” he added.

[I’m saying this now because if it happens, then it’s your mistake. If you think that (Mohammad) Rizwan, Shaheen Afridi, and Babar (Azam) are not on the same pitch, then you remove them all together. Don’t just blame the other two and mark the third one as a hero. It will be wrong].

What will a person feel after being removed from the captaincy after just five matches?: Basit Ali

Furthermore, Basit scrutnised Babar’s captaincy, pointing out Pakistan’s performances in the T20 World Cup and the ODI World Cup 2023 as well. Ali also came to Shaheen Afridi defence after he was removed from captaincy after just a few matches in charge.

“Galat hai. Babar ne kya kaptaani kari hai. Abhi iss tournament me hi nahi, World Cup se jo woh kaptaani kar raha hai. Jo Nawaz ko Melbourne me usne jo last over karaya tha. Kya aankhen nahi khuli thi tab,” he said.

[What captaincy has Babar (Azam) done? Not even in this tournament, but from the World Cup (2023). When you gave (Mohammad) Nawaz the last over in Melbourne (against India), didn’t that open your eyes? What will a person feel after being removed from the captaincy after just five matches? We feel bad even when our chairs get changed on a TV show, imagine how would he feel.]