When Basit Ali said Pakistan were scared of Sachin Tendulkar
Former Pakistani batter Basit Ali claimed earlier this year that Pakistan were scared of Indian batting legend Sachin Tendulkar. He disclosed that during his stint as the Men in Green skipper, Wasim Akram would often tell his teammates to focus on Tendulkar's wicket early.
Baist mentioned that Akram would constantly tell his players that Pakistan would win the match if they managed to get the Indian opener out cheaply. He pointed out that while India had other match-winners like Mohammad Azharuddin, Tendulkar's wicket was the most crucial one for them.
A video has surfaced on social media, in which Basit Ali spoke about how important Tendulkar's wicket was for the Pakistan team. He said:
"He (Tendulkar) was a top-order batsman and I was a middle-order batsman, so we used to see his batting. In our team meetings, our captain at that time Wasim Akram used to say everywhere, even during practice, even during meals, 'Dismiss Sachin and we'll win the match.' As soon as Sachin got out, Pakistan used to win the match. Even though the great Azharuddin was there, we were not scared of Azharuddin, but definitely frightened of Sachin Tendulkar."
Sachin Tendulkar had a fantastic record against Pakistan. In ODIs, the Master Blaster amassed 2526 runs against Pakistan from 67 innings at an average of 40.09. He finished with 1057 runs across 27 innings at an average of 42.28 against the opposition in Test cricket.
"Have some respect" - Basit Ali on Mohammed Shami's comments on Inzamam-ul-Haq
Team India pacer Mohammed Shami didn't mince his words while reacting to former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq indirectly suggesting that Arshdeep Singh tampered with the ball during the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Speaking on journalist Shubhankar Mishra's YouTube channel, here's what Shami said:
"The team that performs against them (Pakistan) gets targeted there. Suppose I bowled with the device and pressed the button incorrectly. I intended to bowl an inswinger but it turned into an outswinger, resulting in a boundary. Ye cartoon giri kahin aur chal sakti hai, yeh public ko bewakoof banane wali baate hain (This kind of cartoonish behavior can happen elsewhere; these are just ways to fool the public)."
Basit Ali was unimpressed by Shami's choice of words and urged the Indian pacer to show some respect to Inzamam. Reacting to Shami's remarks, Basit said on his YouTube channel:
"If you think Inzi bhai said something wrong, say it nicely. Don't call him a cartoon and all that. Have some respect. He's a senior. You should respect your seniors. If you don't, cricket will make you cry 300 days out of 365 and only make you happy for 65 days. So, please don't do this, it's a personal request."
It is worth mentioning that Basit Ali has grabbed eyeballs with his candid opinions lately. The ex-cricketer also recently opined that the BCCI will use its influence to get the decision in their favour regarding the venues of the upcoming 2025 ICC Champions Trophy, which is scheduled to be hosted in Pakistan.