Basit Ali hints at grouping within Pakistan team after Bangladesh whitewash

Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali has hinted at grouping within the Pakistan team following the whitewash in the PAK v BAN Tests.

Speaking on ARY News show Sports Room, the former cricketer lambasted the players for not playing as a unit in the all-important games.

“They are divided. During the tea time on Day 4, players were walking separately. Two or three players were angry when Shan Masood was announced as the captain for the Bangladesh series,” he said.

Basit Ali slammed the Pakistan skipper for shying away from leading the side from the front and for losing two reviews on two consecutive balls.

“After wasting a review, Shan Masood took another on the very next ball. A player who does not know when to take a review is Pakistan’s captain,” the former Pakistan cricketer said.

Mentioning Shan’s press conference, Ali said that the Pakistan skipper resorted to lies by claiming that there was no red-ball cricket for Pakistan in the last nine months.

“Nobody reminded him that he had been playing country cricket. [Mohammad] Rizwan and Saud [Shakeel] scored runs [in the series],” he added.

In an apparent dig at the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi’s remark about planning surgery of the team, Ali said that there was no need for it anymore.

“A few players had said that surgery needed a doctor. Now, Bangladesh came and operated the surgery on the Pakistan team,” he added.

The former cricketer also criticised the bowling attack of the home side for failing to take wickets at crucial times.

“Their rather unknown bowlers took 36 wickets while our ‘world-class’ bowling attack took 24,” he stated.

Earlier, Pakistan suffered a historic whitewash against Bangladesh after Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib Al Hasan scored unbeaten 22 and 21 respectively to guide the visitors to their first-ever Test series victory against Pakistan on Day 5 of the second PAK v BAN Test.

Shakib Al Hasan scored the winning runs as he struck Abrar Ahmed for a boundary, steering Bangladesh to clean sweep the series 2-0.