'Talent has finished in Pakistan'

'Pakistan's cricket starts with the name of Babar Azam and ends with it.'

Former batter Basit Ali has expressed grave concerns over the deteriorating state of Pakistan cricket, boldly declaring that 'talent has finished in Pakistan.'

Pakistan's struggles on the international stage continue to mount.

After getting knocked out of the ICC Champions Trophy in the group stages, Pakistan's nightmare continued in New Zealand where they endured a 1-4 thrashing in the five-match T20I series, followed by a 2-0 defeat in the ODI series after losing the first two games.

Basit, who played 50 ODIs and 19 Tests for Pakistan during the 1990s, warned that if Pakistan's poor performances persist, they might soon find themselves competing in the ICC qualifying rounds to secure a place in major tournaments like the World Cup.

"If we don't make decisions and improve our base, otherwise we will have to play qualifying rounds. We lost all 10 wickets to pacers."

"Our top Bradman batters were out early. Talent has finished in Pakistan. Pakistan's cricket starts with the name of Babar Azam and ends with it," Basit said on his YouTube channel.

He believes Pakistan's decline began after suffering a 228-run hammering at the hands of India in the Asia Cup in September 2023, when Virat Kohli and K L Rahul dominated Pakistan's bowling attack.

"The first match of the Asia Cup against India got washed out because of rain. The way Virat (Kohli) and (K L) Rahul hammered our bowlers, since then neither Pakistan's batting nor bowling has stabilised. In last year's T20 World Cup, we couldn't chase 119," he added.