Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali lashed out at Babar Azam for the Mohammad Rizwan-led side's humiliating loss in their ICC Champions Trophy 2025 opener clash against New Zealand. Babar who came to open the batting alongside Saud Shakeel scored 64 runs in 90 balls while chasing 321 runs.
Babar is currently facing a lot of criticism after his slow run knock in the Champions Trophy opener clash. Basit alleged that Babar was not playing for Pakistan, he was playing for himself.
"They are traitors! They call the Babar Azam bad. So take the name of Babar Azam. Why don't you take it there? What do you mean? You were playing for your 50, not for the nation. Babar has played 50 in 81 balls. And in total, he has played 64 in 90 balls. That's right. Who comes first Babar Azam or Pakistan?" said Basit Ali on Ary News.
After a flop show in bowling, Pakistan lost the opener clash by 60 runs. With that dominating win, New Zealand registered their fourth win against Pakistan in the Champions Trophy and they never lost a match against the Men in Green.
Pakistan's chances of qualifying for the semifinal were dented after they lost the opener clash. Their fate depends on the upcoming clash against India. Pakistan will take their second league match against India on February 23 in Dubai. After facing India, Pakistan will face Bangladesh for their third league match and now they need to win both their remaining matches to stay in the contention for semifinal.