‘Ab TV nahi tootenge': Basit Ali takes brutal dig at Pakistan cricket team ahead of India clash in Champions Trophy

India vs Pakistan: Former PAK cricketer takes dig at PCB and government.

Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali has launched a harsh critique of Pakistan’s national cricket team and the country's economy ahead of their crucial Champions Trophy clash against India. Pakistan is set to take on their arch-rivals at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai on Sunday (February 23).

"Agar one-sided hota hai, toh ab TV bhi nahi tootenge kyunki Pakistan mei mehangai bahut zyada hai. Ab zabaan se hi har cheez hogi (If Pakistan will lose one-sided against India, now the fans will not thrash their TV sets because of country’s economic situation. Now there will be only voiced opinion," Basit Ali, who has played 19 Tests and 50 ODIs for Pakistan said on his Youtube Channel.

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Basit Ali also acknowledged that if Pakistan manages to defeat India in Dubai, it would be a major upset.

“India are favourites. There is no doubt about that. In my opinion, if Pakistan manage to beat India, it will be an upset because our cricket has gone down and is at all time low,” he said.

Basit Ali highlighted the flaws in the Pakistan squad selected for the Champions Trophy.

“Who will bat at No 3, nobody knows. They might ask Usman Khan to open with Imam and bring Babar Azam at No 3,” he said.

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“Fakhar Zaman is out. Now Pakistan’s batting line-up from number one to five similar. If there car is running in the third gear, then it will stay in the third gear. ut won’t be able to switch into turbo mode in the last five or 10 overs,” he added.

India secured a six-wicket victory over Bangladesh in their opening match in Dubai. Meanwhile, defending champions and hosts Pakistan suffered a 60-run defeat against New Zealand in Karachi.

“Pakistan should now play cricket with bat and brain, not with the mouth,” said Basit.

The 54-year-old also mocked the Pakistan Cricket Board for prioritizing stadium renovations over building a strong team.

"The amount of money they spent in building the stadiums, they could have built a good team in half of that amount. But to build a team you need intelligence. What is your vision? What’s your thinking? How do you view a player’s talent? These are the important things."