Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali took aim at Michael Vaughan for his earlier tweet criticizing the Pakistan team for dropping Babar Azam. Babar Azam was dropped from the Pakistan squad for the 2nd and 3rd Tests against England and Kamran Ghulam replaced him in the 11.
Surprisingly, Kamran Ghulam smashed a century in his first match. He scored 118 runs off 224 balls with 11 fours and 1 six. He grabbed a lot of attention with his hitting in the game.
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PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi will be very happy today: Basit Ali on Kamran Ghulam’s tone
Former Pakistan player Basit Ali was delighted with Kamran Ghulam’s performance and applauded him in a YouTube video. He said that Ghulam’s performance in his debut Test will also bring a lot of happiness to PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi.
Mohsin Naqvi, while defending the Champions Trophy, had stated a few months ago that there is no talent pool in Pakistan cricket and therefore a domestic tournament like the Champions Trophy would help the management to unearth talent from different corners of the country. .
“PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi will be very happy today. He had said ‘there is no replacement now’. But (selectors) Aaqib Javed & Co introduced a new kid and he made a century on debut. The best thing about the Strike was that he (Ghulam) came to the ball when he was 19 for 2”, said Basit Ali.
Basit Ali targets Michael Vaughan over Babar Azam’s old tweet
Basit Ali hurled harsh words at former England cricketer Michael Vaughan in the video. Earlier, Michael Vaughan targeted the PCB for dropping a top player like Babar Azam. Take a look at Vaughan’s previous tweet below.
So Pakistan haven’t won in a while .. Go 1 nil down in the series and decide to drop their best player. @babarazam258 .. I think pakistan cricket is full of surprises but this one is so over the top .. totally stupid decision .. unless he wants a break !!!
— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) October 13, 2024
Basit Ali gave a befitting reply to the former England cricketer. Basit Ali said that PCB should send Ghulam’s photo to Vaughan and tell him that Kamran Ghulam is here to stay. According to Basit Ali, if Pakistani selectors emphasize on picking players regularly from their domestic structure, it will benefit Pakistan cricket in the future.
“Kamran Ghulam ki tasveer dikha dena Michael Vaughan ko aur kehna main hoon na (Show Ghulam’s picture to Vaughan and tell him he is there). A bold decision by the selectors can lead to good (Pakistan cricket). As Rohit Sharma said there (in India) , give domestic cricket its due,” Basit Ali added.
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Babar Azam was ousted by Pakistan selectors
It should be noted that Babar Azam was completely defeated in the 1st Test against England. He was out for 30 runs off 71 balls in the 1st innings.
The former Pakistan captain then managed just 5 runs in the 2nd innings as Pakistan were bowled out for 220. England won the 1st Test much to the chagrin of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
On the same day, PCB received more members of the selection committee including Aqib Javed, Azhar Ali, Aleem Dar, Bilal Afzal and Hasan Cheema.
The selectors sent huge shock waves when they made drastic changes to the Pakistan squad, leaving out Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah and Sarfaraz Ahmed from the squad for the 2nd and 3rd Tests against England.
As for Babar, reports have emerged that captain Shan Masood and head coach Jason Gillespie are not in favor of letting go of the star striker, but the selectors have made the final call. Later, to put an end to conspiracy theories, Azhar Mahmood on behalf of PCB mentioned that Babar Azam was rested and not dropped from the Pakistan team.
