‘Coach no longer trust Haris,’ claims Basit
Web Desk
KARACHI: Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali on Wednesday launched a scathing attack on wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Haris following Pakistan’s defeat to Afghanistan in the Tri-Nation Series, accusing him of playing ‘senseless cricket’ and failing to learn from repeated mistakes.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Basit pointed out that Haris is not learning from his mistakes and once again played an irresponsible shot, getting out to Mohammad Nabi’s delivery.
“Haris got out to Nabi. My question is, Nabi was brought on specifically to bowl to a left-handed batter, but instead, you get out to him. This shows you have no cricketing sense. You’re playing senseless cricket, just swinging for a six to look like a hero,” Basit said. Basit further criticised Haris’s mindset, highlighting that even the coach does not seem to trust him anymore, as shown by his continually declining batting position.
“Heroes aren’t born overnight; they are made through hard work. Haris has been handed everything on a platter. When the pitch is tough, the openers step up, but look at what’s happening against Bangladesh, he was batting at six or seven, and the same thing happened here. “When a player slips from number six to number seven, it’s clear the coach doesn’t trust him either,” Basit explained.
It is pertinent to mention that, opting to bat first, Afghanistan posted 169/5 in 20 overs, powered by a commanding 113-run partnership between Ibrahim Zadran and Sediqullah Atal for the second wicket. Pakistan drew first blood when Saim Ayub dismissed Rahmanullah Gurbaz for just 8, but Zadran (54 off 39) and Atal (64 off 45) rebuilt the innings with patience and flair. The stand was eventually broken in the 16th over when Faheem Ashraf had Atal caught at long-on.
Faheem was the pick of the bowlers for Pakistan, registering career-best figures of 4/27, while Saim chipped in with one wicket. In reply, Pakistan faltered with the bat and were restricted to 151/9. Haris Rauf provided late fireworks with an unbeaten 34 off 16 balls, smashing four sixes at a strike rate of 212.50. Fakhar Zaman (25), Agha himself (20), and Sahibzada Farhan (18) offered resistance but failed to anchor the chase.
Afghanistan’s bowling unit shared the spoils as Fazalhaq Farooqi, skipper Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, and Noor Ahmad all picked up two wickets each. Despite the victory, Afghanistan remained second on the points table with two wins in three games and a net run rate boosted from -0.025 to 0.283. Pakistan still top the standings with four points from three matches, though their net run rate dropped from 1.750 to 0.867. Hosts UAE are yet to register a win and sit bottom with a net run rate of -1.725. Pakistan team will face hosts UAE in their next match at the same venue on Wednesday.
