Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali has raised concerns over the selection decisions for Pakistan’s upcoming tour of South Africa, questioning the return of Babar Azam to the Test side and the continued exclusion of pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi.
Pakistan’s multi-format tour of South Africa, set to begin on December 10 in Durban, features a few surprises in the squad announcement. Babar, who was dropped during the England Test series, has been recalled to the red-ball team, while Shaheen remains absent from the Test fold.
Basit criticized the selection committee’s decision to reinstate Babar without a substantial improvement in his form. “How many domestic matches has Babar played since being removed from the Test team? He is a good player, but did his form improve after being dropped?” Basit questioned on his YouTube channel.
Babar’s recent performances have been underwhelming. On Pakistan’s tour to Australia, he managed 80 runs in three ODIs and only 47 runs in three T20Is, averaging 15.67. Basit argued that these numbers do not justify his Test recall.
Turning his attention to Shaheen’s exclusion, Basit linked it to an incident during Pakistan’s Test series against Bangladesh. A viral video showed Shaheen brushing off captain Shan Masood’s hand during a team huddle. Basit implied that this might have contributed to Shaheen’s removal. “Shaheen was asked to bowl on dead pitches, and he couldn’t perform. So why single him out when Naseem Shah’s performance in similar conditions wasn’t much better?” Basit argued.
The exclusion of Shaheen has sparked debate, as he was also left out alongside Babar during the England series. Basit believes the selection decisions lack consistency and transparency, adding further scrutiny to the process as Pakistan prepares for a crucial series against South Africa.
The tour, beginning December 10, will test Pakistan’s strength in all formats, but the controversy surrounding the squad’s composition has already set the stage for intense discussions.
Pakistan squads for the South Africa tour:
T20I: Mohammad Rizwan (captain & wk), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Jahandad Khan, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Omair Bin Yousuf, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufyan Moqim, Tayyab Tahir and Usman Khan (wk)
ODI: Mohammad Rizwan (captain & wk), Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufyan Moqim, Tayyab Tahir and Usman Khan (wk)
Test: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Haseebullah (wk), Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub and Salman Ali Agha.