Former Pakistan batsman Basit Ali has slammed Shadab Khan after the all-rounder criticized former Pakistan cricketers for questioning his place in the side following his poor performance with the ball in the T20 World Cup 2026 match against India.
The debate gained momentum after several former cricketers challenged it Shadab, Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi will be out from the T20I squad after the Salman Ali Agha-led side’s humiliating defeat in the T20 World Cup to arch-rivals India. The criticism did not sit well with Shadab, who pointed out that many of these “legends” had never managed to beat India in a World Cup match in their own careers – something the current group in 2021 has achieved.
“Our former cricketers have their own opinions. They have done well for Pakistan and in the end they never beat India in the World Cup either. We were the ones who beat India in the 2021 World Cup. We beat India only once in the World Cup. Yes, they are legends but they never did anything remarkable against India in the World Cup,” Na Shadab’s told reporters.
The remarks drew a strong response from Basit Ali, who claimed that Shadab’s place in the side was affected by his relationship with head coach Mike Hesson. In an interview with ARY News, Basit questioned Shadab’s promotion against a weaker opposition.
“Against weaker teams, he is promoted to bat in the top order. Why? Because he is Mike Hesson’s laadla (favourite). If Inzamam, Waqar or Saqlain were in charge, I could see where he would bat. I remember when I took the A team to England. He was busy with his mobile phone the whole time. I ended up taking both his phones. Smashing both his phones.
In a particularly scathing rebuttal, Basit invoked the legacy of spin maestro Saqlain Mushtaq, who also happens to be Shadab’s father-in-law, and drew a stark comparison between the eras. “Wasn’t Saqlain a match winner? Saqlain was like the bowler, Shadab was like the one in the pocket. Abhi is too. Das is there, das. I’m telling you,” Basit said on a Pakistani TV show.
Basit Ali also looked at the current state of the Pakistan team’s selection process, arguing that players from the 1990s and early 2000s earned their spots purely through on-field performances rather than internal recommendations.
Pakistan’s 61-run defeat of India in the ongoing T20 World Cup once again highlighted their struggles against their arch-rivals in ICC events. India now have eight wins compared to Pakistan’s only win in the history of the T20 World Cup. That solitary victory came in the 2021 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, when the Babar Azam-led team secured a 10-wicket triumph over India in Dubai.
“THE STARS THEN NEED TO BE GROUNDED”
Former Pakistan great and batting coach Mohammad Yousuf believes the emphatic win may have led to complacency in the dressing room. Speaking on the “How Does it Work” podcast, Yousuf reflected on the aftermath of this victory:
“Fortunately or unfortunately, in the game we won against India by 10 wickets, everyone started thinking that there is no one better than us. Everyone started being disrespectful. When the head coach was talking in the dressing room, someone was either looking at their phone or looking away. It all started after that game. That’s never a good thing for any player. You have to be grounded, which we saw bHmaeulha) (Anwar) bhai were big players, yet they always listened to what the coaches told them,” Yousuf said.
Pakistan, led by Salman Ali Agha, advanced to the Super 8 stage after a 102-run win over Namibia in Colombo earlier this week. However, Shadab Khan’s remarks and the subsequent backlash have re-exposed the growing gulf between Pakistan’s past and present, raising questions not only about performance but also about accountability and standards within the national set-up.
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Issued by:
Saurabh Kumar
Published on:
February 19, 2026