Overview:
Basit Ali was particularly critical of how Babar Azam was handled, accusing head coach Mike Hesson of publicly undermining the former captain.
Former cricketer Basit Ali slammed the team management following Pakistan’s exit from the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, stating that the squad failed to play like a national team.
“I have no regrets, and I’m not ashamed of anything,” Basit said on his YouTube channel.
“Just consider this. If Pakistan had scored 65 runs instead of 36 in those final overs, they would have reached the semi-finals.”
He acknowledged that New Zealand deserved their place in the last four. “They put in more effort. Their approach to cricket was simply stronger.”
Despite posting a competitive total of 212/8, including a record-breaking 176-run opening partnership between Sahibzada Farhan and Fakhar Zaman, Pakistan’s five-run victory over Sri Lanka in the Super 8 match at Pallekele on Saturday was insufficient.
Farhan’s century pushed his tournament tally to 383 runs, surpassing Virat Kohli’s 319 runs from the 2014 edition, while Fakhar added a blistering 84 off 42 balls. However, the team still needed to win by a bigger margin to improve their net run rate and surpass New Zealand.
To qualify, Pakistan needed to restrict Sri Lanka to 147 runs or fewer. Instead, Sri Lanka finished at 207/6, led by Pavan Rathnayake’s 58 and a rapid, unbeaten 76 from Dasun Shanaka.
Pakistan nearly lost the match in the final over when Shanaka struck 4, 6, 6, 6, leaving Sri Lanka needing just six runs from two balls. A missed scoop and a precise yorker from Shaheen Shah Afridi sealed the victory for Pakistan, but by then, the damage was already done.
Basit Ali was particularly critical of how Babar Azam was handled, accusing head coach Mike Hesson of publicly undermining the former captain.
“He openly criticised Babar, saying he lacks intent in the powerplay and has a low strike rate. If he’s not the right choice after 10 slow overs, then why was he selected in the first place? Who made that decision, and who is going to take responsibility for the head coach?,” Basit added.
“I’ve mentioned this on TV before. Babar shouldn’t bat at number four, it’s not the right position for him. You can’t expect him to make that sacrifice. Clearly, the intentions weren’t right.”
Basit Ali criticized the Pakistan team, saying it felt more like a franchise side due to excessive coach interference in selection.
“This Pakistan team felt more like a franchise cricket team to me,” Basit mentioned. “Whenever the coach gets involved in team selection, this is the result. Don’t call it Pakistan’s team, call it Mike Hesson’s team.”