Basit Ali Accuses Pakistan Cricket Management of Favoritism and Scapegoating

Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali has ignited a firestorm of controversy by leveling serious allegations against the current management of the Pakistan cricket team. Ali accuses the management of favoritism towards captain Babar Azam and a sinister plan to scapegoat star players Shaheen Shah Afridi and Mohammad Rizwan for the team's dismal performance in the recent T20 World Cup.

In a video that has gone viral on social media, Ali claims that the management is preparing a report to pin the blame on Afridi and Rizwan for the team's failures. He warns that such actions could have disastrous consequences for Pakistan cricket.

"The report that is being prepared is against Shaheen Shah Afridi and Rizwan. They have formed a group, which is wrong. Those who are making this report, who have the intention of shifting their blame onto them, should not do so. Pakistan's cricket will be destroyed," Ali said.

Ali emphasizes the gravity of the situation, stating that if Afridi and Rizwan are not on the same page with Babar, all three should be removed from the team instead of making two scapegoats and one a hero.

"I am saying this now because God forbid, if this happens, it will be your fault. If you believe that Rizwan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Babar Azam are not on the same page, then remove all three of them. Don't make two of them scapegoats and make the third one a hero," he added.

Ali also criticizes Babar Azam's captaincy, not only in the recent T20 World Cup but also in previous matches. He highlights a controversial decision where Babar chose to bowl Nawaz in the final over in Melbourne.

"Babar's captaincy has been wrong. Not just in this tournament, but in the World Cup as well. The way he made Nawaz bowl the last over in Melbourne, didn't he have eyes then?" Ali remarked.

Ali expresses empathy for Afridi, who was removed from the captaincy after just five matches, acknowledging the natural frustration such a decision would cause.

"Tell me, when a boy is removed from the captaincy after just five matches, won't he feel bad? Even if we are sitting on TV and our chairs are changed, we feel bad - 'why did you change my chair, am I not speaking correctly?' This is a natural thing," he said.

These allegations come in the wake of Pakistan's early exit from the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024, where they failed to progress beyond the Group Stage, suffering losses to the USA and India.

Tags: #PakistanCricket, #T20WorldCup, #BasitAli, #BabarAzam, #ShaheenShahAfridi