Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali expressed his frustration following Pakistan’s loss to what he called a “second-string West Indies team.”
Basit was particularly unimpressed with Babar Azam’s batting in the series, calling out Pakistan’s star batsman for his underwhelming performances. He went as far as suggesting that Babar could learn a thing or two from West Indies spinner Gudakesh Motie, who played a crucial role in his team’s victory in the second Test.
In the first Test, played on a spin-friendly pitch in Multan, Pakistan secured a win and took the lead in the two-match series. However, the hosts faltered in similar conditions during the second Test, falling victim to the very spin strategy they had used. The West Indies capitalized, leveling the series by outplaying Pakistan.
Babar’s contributions with the bat were far from satisfactory. He scored just 8 and 5 runs in the first Test, and in the second Test, he managed only 1 run in the first innings. Though he showed glimpses of form in the second innings, his knock of 31 runs was not enough to rescue the team.
Pakistan suffered a crushing defeat, losing by 120 runs. Chasing a modest target of 254, the team collapsed for just 133 runs. On the other hand, Motie, batting at number 9 for the West Indies, made a significant impact. In a critical first-innings partnership, he scored his maiden Test fifty, a composed 55 runs, helping his team recover from 54-8 to post a total of 163. His batting, coupled with excellent bowling, earned the visitors a 9-run lead in the first innings and put Pakistan under pressure.
Basit Ali didn’t hold back while analyzing the match on his YouTube channel. He criticized both the team and Babar Azam, remarking that the Pakistan captain should take lessons from Motie’s approach to batting.
“Babar Azam needs to learn batting from Gudakesh Motie. He knows when to attack and when to play with caution. Even great players should always be in the process of learning. Motie was the best batsman in this Test,” said Basit.
The 54-year-old former cricketer didn’t even consider the West Indies lineup to be a proper second-string team, yet their convincing win over Pakistan left him deeply disappointed.
“A group of unfamiliar players, a ‘B’ or even a ‘C’ team, beat Pakistan by 120 runs. Winning and losing are part of the game, but this was embarrassing. I won’t go into a detailed analysis because people think we do it for views, but the facts speak for themselves,” he added.
Basit’s remarks reflect the growing concerns about Pakistan’s inconsistency and inability to perform under pressure, even against supposedly weaker teams.
