Pakistan cricket and controversy go hand in hand. While the team is failing to win matches either in home or away conditions lately, their former cricketers hogged the limelight by making serious claims every now and then.
On Thursday (September 12), former Pakistan batter accused ex-skipper Shoaib Malik of match-fixing. He also slammed the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for appointing Malik in the role of mentor for the Stallions - a team set to compete in the domestic One-Day Cup.
“Those people who cannot think about the country, should not be appointed. Those who have admitted that they deliberately lost a match, should not be the mentor. If you want evidence I will give it. Ramiz Raja Saheb interviewed Shoaib Malik. What did he say?” Basit said in a video uploaded on his YouTube channel.
Malik was recently named Stallion’s mentor and he suggested that Babar Azam wasn’t his pick as the captain of the side. He said in a press conference: “We’ve had discussions. Only those players would be selected as the captain who can be groomed into the role per my point of view and those who have some abilities as well. In my perspective, the skills a captain needs are different to personal performances. I plan on picking my captain who has the skills and can give success to Pakistan in the long run.”
Basit Ali wasn’t one bit pleased with this move made by Malik and called Babar a coward for not refusing to play under the captaincy of Mohammed Haris.
“The only regret I have for Babar Azam is that everyone became captain but Shoaib Malik did not make him the captain and went for Haris instead. From Babar Azam’s pocket, you can pick out 10s of Haris’,” Basit remarked.
“That is such a big insult to him. Babar is also a coward. He should have done it like Umar Akmal or Ahmed Shehzad refused to play,” he concluded.
Pakistan cricket is going through a tumultuous time over the past one year. After a first-round exit from the ODI World Cup 2023 and T20 World Cup 2024, they recently suffered a humiliating 2-0 whitewash in the home Test series against Bangladesh.
Pakistan’s embarrassing display has sparked strong reactions from their fans and former players, with many calling for wholesale changes in the side.
The Champions One-Day Cup is seen as a platform for the selectors to rebuild the national team and help them get back up on top.
