Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali blasts at Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for their squad selection for the upcoming white ball series against New Zealand, which is scheduled to start from March 16. Pakistan are scheduled to play a five-match T20I series followed by a three-match ODI series against the Blackcaps. Pakistan almost revamped their T20I team after the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 fiasco.
PCB announced Salman Ali Agha as Pakistan's new T20I captain and all-rounder Shahdab Khan as his deputy. Veteran stars Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam dropped from the T20Is. However, both stars will feature in ODIs where Rizwan will lead the side. The selectors also chose to retain most players who struggled in the ICC Champions Trophy.
Some of the notable exclusions are Saud Shakeel, who played a crucial 64-run innings against India in Pakistan's last match, and fast bowler Mohammad Hasnain, who did not feature in a single Champions Trophy game but was still left out of the squad.
"How many runs did Saud make against India? 64? Yet, he is out of the team," he remarked, questioning the logic behind his omission on his youtube channel.
He also took aim at Hasnain's exclusion, calling it an injustice. "Why is Mohammad Hasnain, who is your next big fast bowler, not in the squad? He has proven his ability, yet he is ignored in both formats. What kind of injustice is this to a young, talented player?"
Basit further alleged that selection was influenced by reputation rather than merit. "Certain players have built good images for themselves, and that's why they are in the squad. These entries are all through the back door," he claimed.
The upcoming series against New Zealand will be the first assignment for Pakistan after ICC Champions Trophy 2025. Despite defending champions and hosts Pakistan were the first team to get ruled out of the tournament after losing their first two league matches against New Zealand and India. Their third group-stage match against Bangladesh washed out.
