Shadab Khan, Babar Azam (Source: @ICC/X.com)
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) recently appointed Salman Ali Agha as their new T20I skipper for the upcoming New Zealand series. However, this has not gone down well with former cricketer Basit Ali, who has slashed the selectors’ decision.
Basit Ali Gives Massive Information On PCB’s Master Plan
Basit Ali, former Pakistani cricketer, has slashed the PCB’s decision to appoint Salman Ali Agha as their new T20I skipper for the upcoming New Zealand series, beginning on the 16th of March. Ali, known to be a critic of Pakistan’s cricket, explained why this decision is incorrect.
Shedding light on the information, he mentioned that this is the PCB’s big plan to appoint Shadab Khan as the new T20I skipper. According to Basit, appointing Salman as the captain for the New Zealand series aligns with their ambition to select Shadab as his successor.
This is due to the fact that New Zealand is going to be a challenging tour for the Pakistan side, and hence Salman will eventually, in the more likely case, lose out against the BlackCaps at their home, paving the way for Shadab to return as the T20I skipper.
"The selectors did this (giving captaincy to Salman Ali Agha) because they want to make Shadab Khan the captain. The New Zealand tour will be a difficult one, then Shadab will be in the line. Let Shadab play, he is a good player. He will come if he performs well," he said.
Moreover, he further clarified that he has nothing against Shadab. He is a fantastic player, but selecting Salman was not the right thing at this moment. Basit Ali then pointed out that Salman has good numbers in Tests and ODIs, while he has not done great in T20I cricket so far, which is why the selectors have made a blunder here.
"Salman Ali Agha is a very good player in Test matches and ODIs; he is not T20 player. The selectors closed their eyes here,” he added.
Moreover, Basit went on to slam the selectors for their choice of players in the squad, adding that players have been selected on different people’s choices rather than their performances, which is why favouritism is still prevalent in the Pakistan lineup. He concluded:
"Pakistan have announced their teams. A big mess has been created. Two-two players were picked based on different people's choices. A team is not made like this, friend. They probably want to throw dust in people's eyes."
Pakistan To Feature In The White-Ball Series Against New Zealand
After the disappointment of the Champions Trophy 2025, where Pakistan were eliminated without a win, the green shirts will now take on the New Zealand side in a five-match T20I and three-match ODI series to be played from the 16th of March in New Zealand.
.jpg?type=tq?im=Resize=(250, 250) "Arnav Chopra")
