Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali recently commented on the exclusion of Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi, and Naseem Shah from the Men in Green's squad for the remaining fixtures of the three-match home Test series against England. Selector Aaqib Javed confirmed that the three players were rested for the matches.
Basit opined that the selection committee took the right call by using the term 'rested.' Speaking in a video shared on his YouTube channel 'Basit Ali,' the 53-year-old said (from 3:04):
"The selection committee said that these three guys have been rested, which was the right thing to say. Saying that they have been dropped is very wrong. If they say that they have been dropped, it would be rape of cricket. They are our heroes and will continue to be. There are going to be ups and downs in performances."
Pakistan's squad was picked by the panel consisting of new members Aaqib Javed, Azhar Ali, and umpire Aleem Dar, along with existing selectors Asad Shafiq and analyst Hassan Cheema. The captain and coach also continue to have their votes.
Basit Ali reckoned that the committee rested the top three players to prove a point, adding (from 3:50):
"They wanted to show that they are going to do different things during their stint. However, it can't be like this. All these guys will be there in South Africa. You will need big-hearted players there."
Pakistan lost the first Test by an innings and 47 runs against England in Multan. They earlier suffered their first-ever Test series defeat to Bangladesh, with the latter completing a 2-0 whitewash.
"Keep fooling the public by speaking good English in press conferences" - Basit Ali on Shan Masood
Basit Ali didn't mince his words while slamming Pakistan's red-ball captain Shan Masood. The left-handed batter has had a dismal start to his rein, suffering six back-to-back losses.
In the same video, the cricketer-turned-expert said Masood has been fooling the Pakistani fans with his comments in press conferences. Calling out the skipper for not supporting his bowlers after the Multan Test defeat, Basit said (from 9:25):
"Keep fooling the public by speaking good English in press conferences. He said that our bowlers didn't take 20 wickets. But why don't you see that you gave away 20 wickets? Saim Ayub got out playing a terrible shot. Abdullah Shahique scored a hundred, so you kept him in the team. He has given consistency to himself and these guys but not to the bowlers."
The second Test of the three-match series between Pakistan and England will begin in Multan on Tuesday, October 15.
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