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Former Pakistan international Basit Ali has slammed Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan for poor performances, saying they’re only good for advertisements.
Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan are the faces of Pakistani cricket. (Picture Credit: AFP)
Former Pakistan international Basit Ali has slammed Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan for their lack of contributions to the team in recent months. Ali labeled the star duo as only good for advertisements, saying they need a ‘wake-up call’ from a strong personality because they are not listening to the coaches either.
Babar and Rizwan, former and current captains and faces of the ODI team for years, are under pressure after Pakistan’s 2-1 series defeat to the West Indies, more so after the final ODI saw the visitors get out for just 92 runs in the chase of 295 runs. While Rizwan scored 53, 16 and 0 in the three matches of the series, Babar, put up 47, 0 and 9. The performances were an extension of their struggles across formats.
“They’re living up to the performances they did during the beginning of their careers. Ab inse bas advertisements kara lo [Let them just do ads now],” Basit said on The Game Plan.
“They don’t listen to the coaches. Whatever the batting coaches say, they just keep pretending to listen to them. They need someone who can give them a wake-up call, like Inzamam, Yousuf or a Younis Khan. And they know there’s no one who would do that, because they didn’t let anyone do it before,” he added.
Babar, once considered a to-be ODI great, has not looked himself for over a year. His last ODI century came in 2023. His cousin and another ex-Pakistani cricketer, Kamran Akmal, said that Babar needs to keep his ‘ego’ aside if he has to help the Men in Green win matches.
“I can guarantee that I haven’t seen ego in him. He respects his family and meets everyone respectfully. But what I want from him is, when he enters the field, he doesn’t act bigger than the game. Prioritise Pakistan. The investments he made in some players during his tenure as Pakistan captain didn’t favour the country, too,” Akmal said.
The star duo is running out of time rapidly since Pakistan’s humiliating exit from the 2025 Champions Trophy. The team will next be in action in a T20I tri-series featuring Afghanistan and the UAE in Sharjah, starting August 29.
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