Basit Ali: “After Saim left, everything fell apart”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan batsman Basit Ali believes everything fell apart for the men in green after they lost opener Saim Ayub to injury.
Ayub fractured his ankle during Pakistan’s two-Test series against South Africa and has been out of action since then.
Prior to that, the 22-year-old had been in lethal form as he had amassed three ODI centuries and a career-best 98 not out in T20Is. All these phenomenal knocks came during Pakistan’s tours of Zimbabwe and South Africa.
Since he is still recovering, Ayub missed Pakistan’s ODI tri-series against New Zealand and South Africa, the 2025 Champions Trophy, and the ongoing tour of New Zealand.
In the ODI tri-series, the men in green made it to the final before losing to New Zealand.
They were then involved in the Champions Trophy and crashed out in the group stage after going winless.
“After Saim left, everything fell apart,” Basit was quoted as saying by TOK Sports on X, formerly known as Twitter.
In their ongoing tour of New Zealand, Pakistan were thrashed 4-1 in the five-match T20I series.
The two sides are now facing each other in a three-match ODI series, which the Black Caps lead 2-0.
Having already lost the series, Pakistan will look to secure a consolation win in the 3rd ODI on April 5 in Mount Maunganui.
Pakistan Squad for T20I Series against New Zealand: Hasan Nawaz, Omair Yousuf, Mohammad Haris, Abdul Samad, Salman Ali Agha (captain), Irfan Khan Niazi, Khushdil Shah, Shadab Khan, Abbas Afridi, Jahandad Khan, Mohammad Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Sufiyan Muqeem, Abrar Ahmed, Usman Khan
Pakistan Squad for ODI Series against New Zealand: Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Salman Ali Agha, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Akif Javed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Imam-ul-Haq, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Irfan Khan Niazi, Naseem Shah, Sufiyan Muqeem, Tayyab Tahir
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