Former Pakistani batter Basit Ali has lashed out at Pakistan’s white-ball coach Gary Kirsten for sharing the importance of consistency during the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) recently concluded connection camp meeting in Lahore as well. He stated that whatever was said at the meeting was predecided. Basit also opined that the real issues weren’t addressed and the focus was on ensuring the safety of Pakistan’s top players like Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, and Shaheen Afridi as well.
Calling Kirsten the mastermind behind this, he said during a live session on his YouTube channel, “I call the connection camp a recommendation camp. Do you know what happened before this meeting? The boys sat among themselves and discussed what they would speak about in the meeting so that Shan Masood, Babar Azam, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Rizwan and Shaheen Afridi remained safe. This is the reality. Gary Kirsten is the mastermind behind this.”
However, Gary Kirsten was appointed as Pakistan’s white-ball coach earlier this year. The move is yet to yield positive results for the team as they suffered a group stage exit at the 2024 T20 World Cup as well. Apart from Gary Kirsten, Basit Ali also lashed out at Pakistan’s red-ball coach Jason Gillespie. He said how the side has suffered embarrassing losses during the tenure of two coaches as well.
ALSO READ: Hardik Pandya shares happiness after winning back the love of fans
“They are speaking that there should be consistency. The biggest thing is that they have been saying it for their own benefit. What did Gary Kirsten do at the T20 World Cup? Pakistan were out after the first round itself. What did Jason Gillespie do? We lost to Bangladesh, a side against whom we had never lost. So, they are just trying to save themselves. The same guys have been playing for the past four years. What consistency are you talking about?,” he added.
Basit Ali also highlighted that the top names in world cricket avoid participating in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). He shared that only retired players are interested in playing in the tournament. He also added that the case is different in the Indian Premier League, which features almost all of the top stars of international cricket as well.
ALSO READ: “Shubman’s captaincy is very good” – Ravi Bishnoi on Shubman Gill
“Which current international player comes to play in the PSL? Only retired cricketers come for the PSL. The world’s most top-class players take part in the IPL. The likes of Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins, all play the IPL. Who comes for our PSL?” “Since the popularity of franchise cricket, it’s just about money. Who plays for the country now? Naseem Shah cried after Pakistan lost to India at the 2024 T20 World Cup in America. He felt sad, but did you look at the faces of other players?,” he stated.
“The selectors don’t want to come in the front. Jason Gillespie and Shan Masood also don’t want to come in front of the media because there are going to be a lot of questions. They announced the team through a press release, but this isn’t the right way. When you form a team, you must face the questions of the journalists and the public,” Basit Ali concluded.
