Basit Ali backs Babar Azam as Pakistan’s batting coach as he mocks coaching staff chaos

Basit Ali has launched a blistering attack on Pakistan cricket team management for the surprising decision to field an all-pace attack in the two-match Test series opener against Bangladesh at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium in Rawalpindi, starting on Wednesday, August 21.

Under the guidance of Pakistan’s new red-ball head coach, Jason Gillespie, the hosts didn’t pick a specialist spinner and instead opted for an all-pace attack featuring Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Khurram Shahzad, and Mohammad Ali for the first Test against Bangladesh.

Basit Ali blasts Pakistan's all-pace strategy against Bangladesh in 1st Test

The pitch at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium has been prepared with a green top, hinting at a clear strategy to exploit the conditions with pace rather than spin for Gillespie’s first assignment as head coach. However, Saud Shakeel and Salman Ali Agha will offer part-time spin options to Pakistan.

Well, Basit Ali’s criticism is sharp and unrelenting, as the former Pakistan selector has sarcastically questioned the reason behind selecting such a playing XI for the Rawalpindi Test against the Bangladesh cricket team. Even the former batter Basit Ali mocked the decision to prepare a pitch favorable to pace bowling while not picking a specialist spinner for the first Test.

Apart from this eyebrow-raising approach, the Pakistan team doesn’t have a dedicated batting coach, and the frustrated Basit sarcastically suggested the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to appoint Babar Azam as their batting coach since Gary Kirsten has been hired only for the white-ball formats.

Make Babar Azam the batting coach: Basit Ali

Basit Ali said on his YouTube channel: “The opposition is like a team of kids. Do Pakistan have the courage to prepare a pitch like this (grass) against England? There was no need for a batting coach with Gary Kirsten at the helm, right?

So, now with Jason Gillespie, why do we need a separate bowling coach? Who is going to tell them about batting? Only Babar Azam is left. Make Babar the batting coach as well then.”

The former Pakistan coach’s criticism extends beyond team selection, as he brutally slammed the PCB for dancing on Gillespie's fingers. Ali expressed his disappointment with Gillespie allowing a new coach for the National Cricket Academy's (NCA) High-Performance Centre by the PCB.

'Are the PCB officials sleeping?' - Basit Ali

He pointed out that the new coach, who hails from Adelaide, has been brought in without proper consideration of his previous track record, suggesting that he didn’t deserve the job.

Basit Ali signed off by saying, “Jason Gillespie has played a lot of cricket and has also had a great coaching tenure with Yorkshire. But please don't do such things in Pakistan. He is from Adelaide and brought someone from Adelaide for the role of NCA's High-Performance Centre coach. Are the PCB officials sleeping? The NCA coach doesn't even know how to do drills properly. He was previously removed from Adelaide.”

Notably, Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium, the National Stadium in Karachi, and the Rawalpindi International Cricket Stadium are being revamped for the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy 2025, and PCB stressed that the redevelopment and redesign of these stadiums would be completed in time for the event.