Following Pakistan’s humiliating series defeat to the West Indies, capped by a heavy 202-run loss in the deciding match in Trinidad, former batter Basit Ali expressed a hope that India might avoid playing Pakistan in the upcoming Asia Cup to spare them further embarrassment.
Speaking on The Game Plan YouTube channel, Basit said:
“I pray India refuse to play against Pakistan in the Asia Cup, just like how they did at the World Championships of Legends. Itni buri tarah maarenge na vo, ki aapki soch hai (They will beat us so badly you can’t even imagine).”
India and Pakistan are scheduled to face each other in the group stage of the Asia Cup 2025 on September 14 in Dubai. Basit also warned about the possibility of Pakistan slipping against Afghanistan in the tournament, noting the difference in public reactions:
“If we lose to Afghanistan, no one would care much in this country. But everyone goes mad the moment you lose to India.”
Though the recent setbacks are in the 50-over format, Pakistan will look to improve their performance in the Asia Cup, which will be played in the T20 format. Nevertheless, Basit was blunt in his criticism of senior players Muhammad Rizwan and Babar Azam, who have repeatedly failed in ODIs after being dropped from the T20I team.
He remarked:
“They’re living up to the performances they did during the beginning of their careers. Ab inse bas advertisements kara lo (Let them just do ads now).”
Basit further criticized their attitude towards coaching:
“They don’t listen to the coaches. Whatever the batting coaches say, they just keep pretending to listen to them. They need someone who can give them a wake-up call, like Inzamam, Yousuf or a Younis Khan. And they know there’s no one who would do that, because they didn’t let anyone do it before.”
ALSO READ – RCB Pacer Hails Rohit Sharma’s Captaincy Says, ‘Mature Captain Knows How To Use Players’
Pak Embarrasing Loss
Pakistan had started the series positively, securing a win in the first ODI, but things quickly unraveled. In the second match, the team faltered, and the final game saw an even more dramatic collapse. Key batsmen, including captain Muhammad Rizwan, failed miserably with three of the top four batsmen dismissed for ducks. West Indies pacer Jayden Seales dismantled the Pakistani batting line-up, taking six wickets as Pakistan were bowled out for just 92 runs marking their lowest total against the West Indies in 50 years and fell short by 295 runs in the chase.