• Home
  • Who Said What
  • Babar Azam Used Mohammad Amir To Pressurise Shaheen Afridi Ex Pak Cricketer

'Babar Azam Used Mohammad Amir To Pressurise Shaheen Afridi': Ex-PAK Cricketer

Pakistan cricket team at T20 Word Cup 2024 (X.com)Pakistan cricket team at T20 Word Cup 2024 (X.com)

Former Pakistani cricketer Basit Ali added fuel to ongoing rumours of group-ism inside the Pakistan team by claiming that captain Babar Azam purposely backed Mohammad Amir’s selection into the T20 World Cup squad to put pressure on foe Shaheen Shah Afridi.

Pakistan cricket team has been accused of group-ism, bias, and internal politics after their humiliating exit from the first round of the 2024 T20 World Cup.

Babar Azam, who took away Shaheen Afridi’s white ball captaincy, was accused of selecting players on personal bias, irrespective of their merit. Also, speculations suggested that the PAK camp has been divided into two groups, with Babar and Shaheen being on opposite sides.

To add fuel to the rumours, former PAK cricketer Basit Ali claimed that Babar Azam used Mohammad Amir to hinder Afridi’s performance. 

Ali said Babar asked PCB to convince Amir to take back his retirement and get into the T20 World Cup squad just to use him as a tool to put pressure on Shaheen Afridi. 

Not only that, Basit Ali added that Pakistan cricket is in the wrong hands as player selection is reduced to personal preferences and ego battle between captain Babar Azam and chief selector Wahab Riaz.

Additionally, Basit Ali remained on the PCB committee for their poor assistance to new chairman Mohsin Naqvi.

Pakistan is out of the T20 World Cup following two big losses against the USA and India. PAK had an edge in both the games. But ended up bottling it up under pressure.

Meanwhile, PCB is planning a clean-up campaign to figure out the root cause of the issues, and it could lead to some bold changes in the future.