Babar-Shaheen Rift Ruined Pakistan Cricket, Claims Basit Ali

Former Pakistan batter Basit Ali has claimed that a fallout between Babar Azam and Shaheen Shah Afridi over the captaincy played a major role in the national team’s decline. Basit’s comments came after Pakistan’s miserable showing in England, where they have already surrendered the three-match Test series 2-0 following a 194-run defeat at Lord’s.

The visitors have faced widespread criticism for their performances, with the team struggling to show any fight in either of the opening two Tests. According to Basit, however, Pakistan’s problems go much deeper than the current results. He believes the leadership dispute between two of the country’s senior players created a damaging divide within the setup.

“Babar Azam is not a strong captain. I am not speaking about this based on the performance in England. He has made many wrong decisions. The main reason for Pakistan cricket's downfall is the rift between Shaheen and Babar. When there was a falling-out between the two over the captaincy, Pakistan cricket was ruined that day,” Ali said on the ‘Game Plan’ show. He also suggested that the consequences of the dispute are still visible in Pakistan cricket.

“Many statements were made, saying Shaheen is a very good bowler and Babar is a very good bowler. The rift, whoever created that, the side effects can be seen now,” he added.

Pakistan’s leadership has gone through repeated changes since the 2023 ODI World Cup. Babar stepped down as captain after Pakistan’s disappointing campaign in India, with Shaheen subsequently handed the ODI leadership. However, after Pakistan’s poor results in New Zealand, Babar returned to the captaincy. His second stint did not last long either. Babar was removed again after Pakistan failed to reach the semi-finals of the 2024 T20 World Cup. The constant reshuffling has now left Pakistan with separate captains across formats. Babar leads the Test side, Shaheen is the ODI captain, while Salman Ali Agha is in charge of the T20I team. Basit believes the damage caused by the earlier captaincy dispute cannot be ignored while assessing Pakistan’s current struggles.

The PCB has now begun making changes following the disastrous England tour. On Monday, the board decided to send seven players home, with Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Ali Agha among those affected. Test coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul were also removed from the setup. White-ball coach Mike Hesson will take charge of Pakistan for the third and final Test against England in Birmingham.

While Babar remains Pakistan’s Test captain, Shaheen has not been part of the red-ball setup and is currently out of favour in Test cricket. Babar took over as Test captain from Shan Masood earlier this year. Under his leadership, Pakistan drew a two-match Test series against the West Indies. However, his own batting form in the longest format remains a concern. Babar has gone four years without scoring a Test century, adding to the pressure surrounding his leadership as Pakistan prepare for the final Test at Edgbaston.