NEW DELHI: Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali has made serious allegations against the current management of the Pakistan cricket team, accusing them of favoring captain Babar Azam and planning to scapegoat Shaheen Shah Afridi and Mohammad Rizwan for the team’s disappointing T20 World Cup campaign.
In a video circulating on social media, Basit Ali, who played 19 Tests and 50 ODIs for Pakistan, claimed that the management is compiling a report to blame Afridi and Rizwan for the team’s failures.He warned that such actions could lead to the downfall of Pakistan cricket.

“Taeyari jo ki ja rahi hai, jo report banayi ja rahi hai woh banayi ja rahi hai Shaheen Shah Afridi aur Rizwan ke against. Inhone grouping kar di hai. Jo galat hai. Yeh jo report bana rahe hai, jinke mind me yeh cheez hai ki woh apna malba inpar daal de, aisa mat kijiye ga. Pakistan ki cricket tabaah ho jayegi. Tabaah!” Basit said.

He emphasized 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.

“Yeh wording issi liye abhi kah raha hoon, allah na kare ye cheez ho gayi toh aap ki bhool hai. Agar aap samajhte hai ki Rizwan, Shaheen Shah Afridi aur Babar Azam ek pitch par nahi hai. Agar aapne hatana hai toh teenon ki chhuti karey. Yeh nahi ki do ko aap kurbaani ka bakra banaye aur teesre ko aap hero bana de,” he added.

Basit Ali also criticized Babar Azam’s captaincy, not only in the recent T20 World Cup but also in previous matches, highlighting a controversial decision where Babar chose to bowl Nawaz in the final over in Melbourne.
“Galat hai. Babar ne kya kaptaani kari hai. Abhi iss tournament me hi nahi, World Cup se jo woh kaptaani kar raha hai. Jo Nawaz ko Melbourne me usne jo last over karaya tha. Kya aankhen nahi khuli thi tab,” Basit remarked.
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He further expressed empathy for Afridi, who was removed from the captaincy after just five matches, acknowledging the natural frustration such a decision would cause.
“Aap mujhe bataye ek ladke ko paanch match ke baad kaptaani se hata diya, kya usko khaleej nahi hogi. Hum jis TV par baithte hai agar kursiyan hamari change ho jaaye toh khaleez hoti hai – ‘kyun meri kurshi change kardi, main sahi nahi bol raha’. Yeh toh natural cheez hai,” 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.