The verbal spat between former cricketers intensified during T20 World Cup 2026 as Basit Ali came to the defense of young Indian opener Abhishek Sharma. The friction began when Mohammad Amir sparked a controversy by labeling the left-hander a 'slogger' and openly questioning his technical foundation. Amir had suggested that Abhishek lacked the necessary defensive skills for the international stage, predicting that the youngster would face far more failures than successes in his career.
These critiques gained traction early in the tournament as Abhishek endured a difficult run of form, recording three ducks in three matches. While he managed a half-century against Zimbabwe, his other performances were largely underwhelming, leading some to wonder if Amir’s harsh assessment held weight. However, Abhishek silenced his detractors on the grandest stage of all, the World Cup final in Ahmedabad. He delivered a blistering 52-run knock against New Zealand, providing India with a high-octane start that proved instrumental in their title-winning effort.
I wish we had 2 or 3 players like Abhishek in Pakistan: Basit Ali on Mohammad Amir's 'slogger' remark
In the wake of India’s victory, Basit Ali launched a scathing rebuttal against Amir’s comments. Ali emphasized that while any player can go through a lean patch of a few innings, "class is permanent." The former Pakistan international went a step further, expressing his admiration for the young Indian's talent and stating that he wished the Pakistan national team possessed two or three aggressive players with the caliber and fearless approach of Abhishek Sharma.
"Even if he has scored three ducks, form is temporary, but class is permanent. When people start giving such a classy player names, it honestly feels disappointing to me. The kind of names being thrown around… I just wish we had two or three players like him in our country as well," Basit Ali said in a TV show at ARY.
India's historic T20 World Cup 2026 title triumph
Throughout the tournament, Amir kept making several controversial predictions that drew the ire of fans. Most notably, he suggested that India would fail to even reach the semi-finals, a claim that seemed plausible to some during the team's initial slow start. However, the Indian squad proved his skepticism wrong by finding their rhythm at the perfect moment, building relentless momentum that carried them all the way to a dominant victory over New Zealand in the final.
India’s triumph in the final was not just a tournament win, but a historic achievement that rewrote the record books. By securing the trophy, they became the first nation in cricketing history to successfully defend a T20 World Cup title. Furthermore, this victory established India as the first team to win three T20 World Cup trophies, solidifying their status as the preeminent force in the shortest format of the game.
This latest success also marked an extraordinary triple crown for the Men in Blue, representing their third consecutive ICC title. This golden era of dominance began with the 2024 T20 World Cup, continued through a victory in the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy, and has now been capped off by their 2026 T20 World Cup win.