Abrar Ahmed should never be dropped from Pakistan side: Basit Ali

Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali has said that unfair treatment of players eventually reflects in a team’s performance, arguing that consistency and merit must guide selection decisions.

Talking in Har Lamha Purjosh, he maintained that Abrar Ahmed should never have been dropped from the side.

“If you are unjust to a player, your performance will also suffer,” Basit Ali remarked. He described Abrar Ahmed as a “proper bowler”, not a part-time option. Referring to England captain Harry Brook, Basit claimed that had Abrar Ahmed been in the attack, Brook would not have scored so freely.

Meanwhile, former captain Shoaib Malik offered a more tactical assessment. He said cricket is a game where bowlers are bound to be hit, but they must adapt quickly.

“When Brook was attacking, the bowlers needed to rethink their plans. England disrupted Pakistan’s strategy,” he observed. Malik noted that although Shaheen Shah Afridi claimed three wickets in his initial spell, the attack later appeared exposed once the set plans were countered.

Former wicketkeeper-batter Kamran Akmal highlighted England’s superior game awareness. He pointed out how the batters assessed Usman Tariq carefully before capitalising on a loose delivery for six.

Basit Ali further criticised Pakistan’s planning, saying there appeared to be no clear strategy when a lower-order hitter was promoted to number three purely to attack. “If a player moves from number five to three, he is clearly there to score quickly. Pakistani bowlers should have targeted him for an early dismissal instead of allowing him to settle,” he concluded.