NEW DELHI: Former cricketer Basit Ali on Thursday came down heavily on the Pakistan cricket team after their disappointing performance against England on the fourth day of the Multan Test.
Pakistan batters excelled in the opening two days of the Test, but England quickly seized control and maintained their dominance. Pakistan, trailing by 267 runs, then faced a tough challenge in the second innings, slumping to 82 for six on the penultimate day.
As the top six batters failed to go past the 30-run mark, including Babar Azam, who was dismissed for 5, fans and pundits were left stunned by the batting collapse.
Star Babar, who was hoping to regain form after a period of poor performances, was once again dismissed cheaply as his woeful run in the traditional format continued.
Observing another below-par performance from Babar and other batters, Basit suggested it might be time for the 29-year-old to take a break. He emphasized that other players in a similar situation would have been dropped from the squad.
“Babar Azam needs rest. Babar should say that I need to rest. It has been 18 innings since he has performed. If some other player was playing, then he would be out of the squad after three games, like Fawad Alam. This is the bitter truth,” Basit said on his YouTube channel.
While talking about the flaw in the former Pakistan skipper’s technique, Basit expressed his frustration and added, “Babar should reduce his stance. It is a lot now. The whole world is laughing. Is this how to play?”
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Basit then shifted his focus on Test skipper Shan Masood, reaffirmed his stance on the experienced southpaw to open and stated that he doesn’t know how to captain the team.
“I have been saying that Shan is an opener he should open. But he played at number three. Now, what will happen? Who will you drop? He should play at his number. He doesn’t even know captaincy. What has happened to this cricket team? It is shameful,” Basit added.
The 454-run partnership between England’s Harry Brook and Joe Root toppled numerous records on the fourth day and it forced Pakistan’s back against the wall. Pakistan’s heads dropped, and confidence went down as they waited for England to make its next move.
England eventually declared on 823 for 7, putting Pakistan to bat in the final session. Pakistan ended the day with 152/6 on the board and still trailing by 115 runs.
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