YouTuber Basit Ali’s accusation against Babar Azam debunked

Former cricketer and now YouTuber, Basit Ali, has accused Pakistan's cricket team captain, Babar Azam, of including fast bowler Mohammad Amir in the T20 World Cup squad to apply pressure on star bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi, reported ARY news.

Pakistan was eliminated in the first round of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.

Basit Ali asserted that team selections were driven by personal biases rather than merit.

 “This was not a Pakistani team; instead, Babar XI and Wahab Riaz XI played the matches,” Basit was quoted as saying by ARY news.

Amir's return to the national team marked his comeback after nearly four years, having previously retired from international cricket in 2020.

However, speaking in a video in April 2024, Amir had expressed his gratitude to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) management, particularly Shaheen Afridi, for having faith in his abilities and facilitating his comeback.

 “The credit [for bringing me back] goes to the management of the Pakistan Cricket Board, Shaheen [Afridi], they brought me back with trust, and there is some sort of pressure of fulfilling that promise,” Amir had said.

Shaheen Afridi, who was initially the T20I captain and played a key role in bringing back both Amir and Imad Wasim, was replaced by Babar Azam as captain ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024.