Ex-Pakistan cricketer destroys Jay Shah; calls ECB, CA, and other boards 'dogs' over Champions Trophy controversy

Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali has taken a sly dig at BCCI secretary Jay Shah while slamming other cricket boards too over Team India's reluctance to travel to Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy in 2025.

The Champions Trophy is scheduled to be held in Pakistan next year. The tournament gives the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) a great opportunity to show the world that they are ready to host international teams on a regular basis. The tournament will also provide a much-needed financial boost to the PCB. However, their hopes could suffer a big blow due to India's stance.

There is absolutely no denying that India are the biggest crowd-puller in modern-day cricket and the PCB will be desperate to have them in Pakistan. However, the chances of India visiting Pakistan are extremely slim due to the political tension between the two countries. India have not visited Pakistan since 2008 and it won't be very surprising if they decide against visiting the country next year as well.

Basit Ali slams cricket boards:

And the cricketing fraternity eagerly awaits India's final decision on the matter, Basit Ali could not stop himself from venting his frustration. Speaking on his official YouTube channel, the former cricketer not only took a shot at Jay Shah but also accused other cricket boards of aligning with the BCCI. He indirectly called the other boards dogs, saying that they would just wag their tails and follow Shah's instruction.

"5-6 boards jo haina dum hilate huye woh baat karenge jo Jay Shah bolenge (Those 5-6 boards will wag their tails and do whatever Jay Shah tells them to.)," said Basit Ali.

"If he says the Champions Trophy will be in Pakistan, they'll agree. If he says it'll be a hybrid model, they'll go with that too. It's because when their players play in the IPL, BCCI pays their boards a huge amount whether it's the English board, New Zealand board, West Indies board, or Australian board," he added.

Speaking further, Basit Ali slammed PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi as well. The former cricketer claimed that Naqvi is not taking a firm stand on the matter only because he has been 'given a lollipop' of a bilateral series against India at a neutral venue. Ali said that the PCB should not accept the offer of playing a bilateral series against Pakistan at a neutral venue.

"PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi has been given a lollipop. Basically, he's been told (by other boards) that after the Champions Trophy, we (Pakistan) should play a bilateral series against India. Whether it's in Australia or England, they'll (other boards) convince India to play.

"I think that if the bilateral series isn't happening in India or Pakistan, the Pakistan board should say no to playing in a third country. If India are not willing to play in our country, then we shouldn't agree to play the series in another country either," said Ali.