Basit Ali: “You should tell them that we will not consider you for the T20I team”
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Former Pakistan batsman Basit Ali feels the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) should be crystal clear with Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Shaheen Shah Afridi that they won’t be considered for selection in T20Is.
His comments come after Azam and Rizwan were left out of the squad for the five-match T20I series against New Zealand, which the men in green lost 4-1.
Afridi took part in that series, but failed to have much of an impact as he only took two wickets in four games at an average of 66.50.
Despite not playing in the T20Is, Azam and Rizwan did feature in the three-match ODI series that followed, with Azam amassing 129 runs, which included two fifties, at an average of 43.
Rizwan, meanwhile, finished with 72 runs at an average of 24.
Afridi, however, was not included in the team.
Going forward, Basit feels Azam, Rizwan and Afridi should have some clarity on where they stand in regards to T20Is, especially if the selectors plan to give more chances to younger players showing great potential.
“You should tell them that we will not consider you for the T20I team,” he said on ARY News’ show Har Lamha Purjosh.
Azam is now captaining the Peshawar Zalmi in the 2025 Pakistan Super League (PSL) and has struck 288 runs in 10 matches, which includes three half-centuries, at an average of 36 and a strike-rate of 128.57.
Rizwan is in charge of the Multan Sultans and has accumulated 367 runs in 10 games, which includes a century and a fifty, at an average of 52.42 and a strike-rate of 139.54.
As for Afridi, he is leading the Lahore Qalandars and has picked up 11 wickets in 10 matches at an average of 21.63 and an economy rate of 8.20.
PSL 10 is scheduled to conclude on May 25.
Peshawar Zalmi Squad for PSL 10:
- Platinum: Babar Azam (captain), Saim Ayub, Tom Kohler-Cadmore
- Diamond: Corbin Bosch, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Haris
- Gold: Abdul Samad, Hussain Talat, Nahid Rana
- Silver: Arif Yaqoob, Najibullah Zadran, Max Bryant, Mehran Mumtaz, Sufiyan Muqeem
- Emerging: Ali Raza, Maaz Sadaqat
- Supplementary: Ahmed Daniyal, Alzarri Joseph
Multan Sultans Squad for PSL 10:
- Platinum: Michael Bracewell, Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Usama Mir
- Diamond: David Willey, Iftikhar Ahmed, Usman Khan
- Gold: Chris Jordan, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain
- Silver: Akif Javed, Gudakesh Motie, Josh Little, Faisal Akram, Tayyab Tahir
- Emerging: Ubaid Shah, Shahid Aziz
- Supplementary: Johnson Charles, Muhammad Amir Barki, Shai Hope, Yasir Khan
Lahore Qalandars Squad for PSL 10:
- Platinum: Daryl Mitchell, Fakhar Zaman, Shaheen Shah Afridi (captain)
- Diamond: Haris Rauf, Kusal Perera, Sikandar Raza
- Gold: Abdullah Shafique, Jahandad Khan, Zaman Khan
- Silver: Asif Afridi, Asif Ali, David Wiese, Muhammad Akhlaq, Rishad Hossain
- Emerging: Mohammad Azab, Momin Qamar
- Supplementary: Muhammad Naeem, Sam Billings, Salman Ali Mirza, Tom Curran
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