Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali has openly criticized Shaheens young bowler Sufiyan Muqeem for his behavior during a heated exchange with India A's Abhishek Sharma in the ACC Men’s T20 Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2024. The incident took place during a tense match at Al Amerat, where Muqeem's sledging of Sharma sparked controversy on the field.

Basit Ali, speaking on his YouTube channel, expressed disappointment with Muqeem’s actions and stressed the importance of sportsmanship among young cricketers. He reprimanded the 18-year-old for his conduct, reminding him that his career was still in its early stages.

“The cricket was top-class, but one thing that really upset me was the incident involving Sufiyan Muqeem and Abhishek Sharma. If I were sitting in the dugout or the team manager, I would have told Sufiyan, ‘Son, pick up your things and go back.’ You haven’t even played proper cricket for Pakistan yet, and you’re already using abusive language. What kind of behaviour is this?” Basit said.

The on-field spat occurred after Muqeem dismissed Abhishek Sharma, who had scored 35 runs off 22 balls. Muqeem celebrated the wicket by making a "silence gesture" towards the Indian opener, triggering a verbal confrontation between the two players. Umpires Chamara de Zoysa and Rahul Asher intervened to defuse the situation.

India A eventually secured a narrow 7-run victory, posting 183/8 in 20 overs and holding Pakistan A to 176/7.