All posts tagged: Basit

Basit Ali predicts Qualifier 1 winner

Basit Ali predicts Qualifier 1 winner

Published by Webster

3 min readMay 26, 2026 05:15 PM IST Former Pakistan batsman Basit Ali has backed the Royal Challengers Bengaluru to beat the Gujarat Titans in Qualifier 1 and enter the final of IPL 2026, drawing a comparison with Peshawar Zalmi’s 2026 Pakistan Super League title-winning campaign. The reference to Zalmi’s 2026 PSL triumph was made in the context of a dominant, consistent playoff run, where they beat Islamabad United in Qualifier 1 and reached the final. “RCB will do exactly what Peshawar Zalmi did—straightforward domination. If anyone can challenge RCB, it is Sunrisers Hyderabad. Otherwise, no one else has a chance,” he said on the ‘Game Plan’ podcast. The reigning champions had qualified for the IPL 2025 final after beating Punjab Kings in Qualifier 1 in New Chandigarh. They finished on top of the points table in IPL 2026, with 18 points in 14 matches. Former Pakistan wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal referred to a recent match involving Sunrisers Hyderabad and Virat Kohli, highlighting a brief post-match moment that drew attention. “In the last match between Sunrisers …

‘Like book cricket – every shot a four or six’: Basit Ali in awe of Tim David as RCB march on in IPL 2026 | Ipl News

‘Like book cricket – every shot a four or six’: Basit Ali in awe of Tim David as RCB march on in IPL 2026 | Ipl News

Published by Webster

3 min readApr 7, 2026 02:26 PM IST Former Pakistan batsman Basit Ali praised Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batsman Tim David, comparing his batting approach to playing book cricket. He felt that the reigning IPL champions looked like a solid outfit, with the inclusion of Jacob Duffy and the presence of Krunal Pandya creating a decisive impact for the team. “RCB has become a proper team now. Initially, about 4-5 years ago, I felt that they had a weak bowling attack. Now, with their batting lineup, they have the likes of Jacob Duffy and someone like Krunal Pandya; these players have had a significant impact. The mastermind on the ground is Virat Kohli. The captain’s name may be Rajat (Patidar), but Tim David….it is like book cricket, where you open the book, and it is either a four or a six. The manner in which he hits (is amazing),” he said on “The Game Plan” podcast. Former Pakistan wicket-keeper batsman Kamran Akmal said that he was shocked that the Mumbai Indians released David and urged …

Kamran Akmal, Basit Ali question PCB: Rs. 18 billion spent on Gaddafi Stadium and it still can’t handle rain | Cricket News

Kamran Akmal, Basit Ali question PCB: Rs. 18 billion spent on Gaddafi Stadium and it still can’t handle rain | Cricket News

Published by Webster

3 min readApr 1, 2026 09:53 PM IST Former Pakistan cricketer Kamran Akmal raised serious questions about the PCB’s renovation of Gaddafi Stadium after the PSL match between Islamabad United and Peshawar Zalmi was abandoned without a ball bowled on March 31. “Yaar mujhe lag raha hai itna paisa Champions Trophy se pehle laga, kis base pe laga — ye saari cheezein dekhni thi na,” (“I feel so much money was spent before the Champions Trophy — on what basis, all these things needed to be looked at”) Kamran said on the YouTube channel ‘Game Plan’. “Drainage system sabse best karna tha — aap kaise paani wahan pe khada ho sakta tha.” (“The drainage system should have been the top priority — how can water just stand there like that.”) On covers, he said a simple fix was never made. “Cover mangwa ek minute mein aaya — thode cover zyada badha lo yaar, aapko pata hai ke har match hamare liye kitna important hai.” (“Covers can be brought in a minute — just get more …

Basit Ali dissects Bangladesh’s 2-1 series win

Basit Ali dissects Bangladesh’s 2-1 series win

Published by Webster

3 min readMar 16, 2026 01:14 PM IST Bangladesh won the third and deciding ODI on Sunday to take the friendship series 2-1, completing a miserable tour for Pakistan who had already lost the preceding Test series 2-0. “If you want to win a series at home, just invite Pakistan,” said Basit Ali on his YouTube channel, the BasitAliShow. On the incoming selection committee, Ali noted Misbah and Sarfaraz have joined, with Sarfaraz announcing his retirement from playing on the same day. “Maybe you’ll see them coaching red-ball cricket,” he said. As for coach Mike Hesson, Ali suggested his position was under pressure. “He had a clause that he would pick the squad of 15 himself. Sarfaraz and Misbah will never accept that.” Ali argued the problems ran deeper than the results alone. Naeed Rana had been the difference across both formats. “Naeed Rana shook the world in this series,” Ali said. “His pace troubled our batsmen in the Tests and he carried that into the ODIs.” Bangladesh’s Taskin Ahmed then took four wickets in …

Babar Azam mentally unfit, not injured — Basit Ali

Babar Azam mentally unfit, not injured — Basit Ali

Published by Webster

3 min readMar 14, 2026 07:44 PM IST Former Pakistan batsman Basit Ali has flatly rejected the official explanation for Babar Azam’s absence from the national squad, saying the star batter is dealing with a mental problem — not a physical injury. Basit told his YouTube channel BasitAliShow that Babar’s batting and fielding showed no signs of a physical ailment, attributing the slump to poor man-management and the decision to bat him at number four. He said Babar has a fragile confidence and that whoever is currently in his ear has too much sway over his state of mind. “Babar Azam is mentally unfit,” Basit said. “Physically unfit he is not.” (Babar Azam mentally unfit hai. Physically unfit nahin hai.) He added that it was for the best Babar had not been selected — he would not have performed in his current state of mind anyway. Basit was equally blunt about white-ball head coach Mike Hesson, the former New Zealand coach appointed by the PCB in May 2025, accusing him of overstepping his role by …

‘Bit of Virat Kohli …winning the game was everything’ — Mohammad Hafeez and Basit Ali praise Sanju Samson | Cricket News

‘Bit of Virat Kohli …winning the game was everything’ — Mohammad Hafeez and Basit Ali praise Sanju Samson | Cricket News

Published by Webster

Sanju Samson delivered one of the defining innings of this T20 World Cup, guiding India to a tense but ultimately comfortable chase of 196 against West Indies and securing their place in the last four of the tournament. With senior openers Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan both falling cheaply, it was Samson who steadied the ship and then accelerated at precisely the right moments — drawing effusive praise from analysts and former cricketers on Pakistan. For veteran commentator and former Pakistan batsman Basit Ali, the innings triggered a comparison to one of cricket’s all-time greats. “You could see a bit of Virat Kohli in his batting — how to pick runs off different bowlers — and he’s got power too.” Speaking on his YouTube channel CricketInsight with Basit Ali, the former batsman broke down exactly what set Samson apart from the rest of India’s batting lineup on the night. “Sanju was given a clear plan, and even during the powerplay, he was the one scoring the most. The way Sanju batted, I was making a …

‘Have shame…don’t call it Pakistan’s team — call it Mike Hesson’s team’: Basit Ali lashes after Pakistan’s exit from T20 World Cup | Cricket News

‘Have shame…don’t call it Pakistan’s team — call it Mike Hesson’s team’: Basit Ali lashes after Pakistan’s exit from T20 World Cup | Cricket News

Published by Webster

4 min readUpdated: Mar 1, 2026 10:32 AM IST By the time Basit Ali settled in to record his post-mortem on his YouTube channel TheBasitAliShow, Pakistan were already out. What followed was a strong criticism of the selectors, the coaching staff, the pundits cheerleading from the sidelines, and the broader culture he believes has been quietly strangling Pakistani cricket for years. “I have no regrets and there’s nothing to be ashamed of,” he said about Pakistan’s exit from the world cup.The bare facts gave him plenty to work with. A 176-run partnership between Sahibzada Farhan, “the hero of the tournament from Pakistan,” and Fakhar Zaman had put Pakistan in a position to do something. Then five overs happened: eight wickets, 49 runs, elimination. “Just imagine,” Basit said on TheBasitAliShow. “If Pakistan had scored 65 runs instead of 36 in those final overs, they wouldn’t have been eliminated from the semis.” He was quick to add, though, that New Zealand were better, and more deserving to play in the semifinals.“They worked harder. Their mindset when it …

‘Sabke laadle hain’: Basit Ali slams Saim Ayub’s ‘special treatment’ after Jofra Archer exposes opener’s weakness | Cricket News

‘Sabke laadle hain’: Basit Ali slams Saim Ayub’s ‘special treatment’ after Jofra Archer exposes opener’s weakness | Cricket News

Published by Webster

4 min readFeb 25, 2026 02:27 PM IST With his knock of seven runs against England in Pakistan’s two-wicket loss against England in the Super 8 encounter at Pallekele in the T20 World Cup on Tuesday, Pakistani opener Saim Ayub once again failed to get past a score of 30 runs in this T20 World Cup. The 23-year-old opener currently has a tally of 70 at an average of 14.00 in the event so far and the opener fell trying to a play a pull shot off the bowling of England pacer Jofra Archer on Tuesday. Former Pakistani player Basit Ali took a jibe at Ayub after his latest failure, branding the opener a ‘laadla’ (favourite) of the management. His dismissal against England meant that the 23-year-old opener fell on a single digit score for the 15th time in the last one year in T20Is. Basit Ali’s jibe came after Shoaib Malik spoke about Ayub getting pout to a 145kph ball bowled by Jofra Archer in the third over of Pakistan’s innings. Ali claimed that …

Basit Ali: ‘Give us a slogger like Abhishek Sharma’ — But Pakistan? ‘India beat you like a child’ | Cricket News

Basit Ali: ‘Give us a slogger like Abhishek Sharma’ — But Pakistan? ‘India beat you like a child’ | Cricket News

Published by Webster

4 min readUpdated: Feb 19, 2026 12:42 PM IST Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali has delivered a characteristically blunt assessment of both India’s Abhishek Sharma and the embattled Pakistan cricket setup, defending the “match changer” Indian opener despite a string of three consecutive ducks, while reserving his sharpest criticism for Pakistan’s team management. “Give us one like him.” Despite Abhishek Sharma’s struggles with the bat — the young Indian opener has now notched three consecutive zeroes in the tournament — Basit Ali was sympathetic, even admiring, of the left-hander. “The breaking news for me is that Abhishek scored the third zero,” Basit said on his YouTube channel ‘TheBasitAliShow’. “He has made a record of 0-0-0 — a string of ducks equalling the likes of Saeed Anwar and Atta-ur-Rehman.” But Basit was quick to add context. “He is a match changer. I had a lot of expectations from Abhishek, and I think he is simply waiting for the Super 8 matches.” Basit said a friend reportedly referred to Abhishek as a “slogger,” and he turned it …