Basit Ali Questions Pakistan's Squad Choices for South Africa Tour

Former cricketer Basit Ali has openly criticised the Pakistan Cricket Board's decisions surrounding the squad selection for their upcoming South Africa tour, which begins on December 10 in Durban. His concerns focus on Babar Azam’s unexpected inclusion in the Test squad and Shaheen Shah Afridi’s continued exclusion from red-ball cricket.

Pakistan recently announced their squads for the multi-format series, revealing some surprising decisions. Babar Azam, who had been dropped during the England Tests, made a return to the Test team, while Shaheen, who was also sidelined in the same series, remains absent from the Test lineup. Basit called out the selection committee for these choices, particularly Shaheen’s exclusion, which he suggested was influenced by an incident during Pakistan’s first Test against Bangladesh. A viral video showed Shaheen removing Shan Masood's hand from his shoulder during a team huddle, which, according to Basit, might have contributed to the decision.

Basit expressed his frustration on his YouTube channel, stating that Shaheen was criticised for underperforming on lifeless pitches but questioned why Naseem Shah wasn’t held to the same standard. He also alluded to the viral incident, suggesting it played a role in Shaheen’s omission.

The former cricketer didn’t hold back on Babar’s return to the Test side, either. He questioned whether Babar’s recent performances warranted his comeback, pointing out that his form in domestic and international matches since being dropped had been far from convincing.

"How many domestic matches Babar has played since being removed from the Test team? When Babar was dropped from the Test team, on what performance did he return to the team? He is a good player, but did his form improve after being dropped from that series?" Basit remarked.

Since his removal from the Test squad, Babar's performances have been underwhelming. During Pakistan’s tour of Australia, he managed only 80 runs in three ODIs and a meagre 47 runs across three T20Is, averaging just 15.67.

Pakistan Squads for the South Africa Tour

T20I Squad

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, Usman Khan (wk).

ODI Squad

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, Usman Khan (wk).

Test Squad

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, Salman Ali Agha.

As Pakistan prepares for the series, Basit’s remarks have added fuel to the debate surrounding squad selection, with many questioning whether merit and performance are being prioritised.