"Mohsin Naqvi, please open your eyes" - Basit Ali slams PCB chairman
Basit Ali criticized Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi amid the downfall of Pakistan cricket. The Men in Green have come under the scanner following their first-ever Test series defeat to Bangladesh.
Pakistan performed underwhelmingly in the two-match home series. Bangladesh completed a stunning 2-0 whitewash over the hosts to climb to the fourth spot in the World Test Championship (WTC) points table.
Basit suggested that Naqvi's promise to fix the problems in Pakistani cricket was just a gimmick. He pointed out how even Indian cricketers Ravichandran Ashwin and Sourav Ganguly have also spoken about the decline of Pakistan at the international level.
Speaking in his latest YouTube video, the former Pakistani batter said (from 1:23):
"Mohsin Naqvi, please open your eyes. You say that you will fix Pakistan's cricket, but it cannot happen like this. It is the bitter truth. People criticize me when I speak about Yasir Shah. Now, Ravichandran Ashwin has said the same thing, expressing surprise over the dearth of spinners in Pakistan. I may be wrong, but is Ashwin also wrong? Even Sourav Ganguly spoke about how Pakistan cricket has deteriorated. The promises made to fix Pakistan's cricket are nothing but gimmicks."
It is worth mentioning that Mohsin Naqvi became the 37th PCB chairman after being elected as the cricket board's top boss in February. He grabbed headlines during the 2024 T20 World Cup, opining that Pakistani cricket needed a 'major surgery'.
"It is a blatant lie" - Basit Ali on PCB's press release stating that mentors picked the coaching staff for Champions One-Day Cup 2024
The Pakistani players are set to feature in the upcoming Champions One-Day Cup 2024. The PCB has roped in Sarfaraz Ahmed (Dolphins), Shoaib Malik (Stallions), Waqar Younis (Lions), Misbah-ul-Haq (Markhors), and Saqlain Mushtaq (Panthers) as mentors for the domestic tournament.
In a recent press release, the PCB announced the coaches who will be associated with the teams for the event. It was also revealed that the mentors picked the eight-member staff for their respective teams.
Reacting to the development, Basit Ali opined that it was a blatant lie, as the National Cricket Academy (NCA) also sent in names for the coaching roles.
He remarked (from 2:34):
"The mentors should not be lying. There was a press release today which suggested that the coaching staff were picked by the mentors. It is a blatant lie. Yes, the mentors had a say, but a few names from the NCA were also sent."
Basit also reckoned that Shoaib Malik doesn't even know what his role is as a mentor for Stallions, adding (4:47):
"Shoaib Malik says he isn't interested in coaching. He is making Mohammad Haris and Babar Azam practice power-hitting. Isn't that part of coaching? First tell him what is the job of a mentor. Instead of mentoring, he is coaching."
The Champions One-Day Cup 2024 will be played in Faisalabad from Thursday, September 12. Panthers and Wolves will battle it out against each other in the opening encounter.