The former Pakistan middle order batter, Basit Ali, has drilled the chairman of their cricket board, Mohsin Naqvi, regarding the recent struggle in the game of the side, as they failed to qualify for the ‘super eight’ stage of the recent Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, before losing their maiden Test series against Bangladesh at home.
Basit Ali’s voice raised on the back of the comments from the current off-spinner of the Blue Brigade, Ravichandran Ashwin, and the former captain of the Indian side, Sourav Ganguly, both of whom slammed the recent situation of the Pakistan team, besides comparing them with the past teams.
Basit Ali, known to speak openly, has blamed the leadership skills of Mohsin Naqvi and claimed that despite promising to make better plans for the betterment of their cricket, the veteran has failed to stand by his words. He also stated that the efforts of the chairman hadn’t solved the problem, but have increased the decline of the Green Brigade.
“Is Ashwin also wrong?”- Basit Ali raised questions about Mohsin Naqvi
In their 20-over World Cup campaign, Pakistan couldn’t win their opening fixture against the United States of America (USA), besides failing to record a victory over India despite finding themselves in a comfortable situation at the halfway mark of the contest.
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The Test series was another example of how hard times have been for them. Their batters couldn’t bat for a day to save the game at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, while in the second game, despite having their opponent side six down in the first hour, they failed to keep the consistent pressure on the Najmul Hossain Shanto-led side.
Basit Ali pointed out that when he spoke about the leg-spinner of the team, Yasir Shah, many criticized him, but could they do the same against Ashwin or Ganguly?
“Mohsin Naqvi, please open your eyes. You say that you will fix Pakistan’s cricket, but it cannot happen like this. It is the bitter truth. People criticize me when I speak about Yasir Shah. Ravichandran Ashwin has said the same thing, expressing surprise over the dearth of spinners in Pakistan.” Basit Ali expressed this in a video shared on his YouTube channel.
“I may be wrong, but is Ashwin also wrong? Even Sourav Ganguly spoke about how Pakistan cricket has deteriorated. The promises made to fix Pakistan’s cricket are nothing but gimmicks.” The veteran remarked.
The comments comfortably indicate the mounting frustration of the former players and fans regarding the situation of their game, as the recent performances didn’t suit the rich and glorious history.
“Every generation has to produce outstanding players to win, and when I look at Pakistan in world cricket, I saw them in the West Indies World Cup, in India during the World Cup, and now after the Bangladesh series loss there is a dearth of talent in that country.” The former Indian captain, Sourav Gangly, narrated about the condition.
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“The people connected with the sport in Pakistan will have to look into it. I’m not saying this with disrespect. Pakistan of the old had some great cricketers, which I don’t see in this squad.” The former left-handed opening batter shared his view.
Basit Ali has requested the PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi to take vital measurements in their game besides showing belief in the players to rejuvenate their cricket and reclaim the past peak of the game. They will look to develop their game now when they face England in a three-match red-ball series starting on October 07 in Multan.