Former cricketer reveals reason behind Pakistan’s cricket downfall

Former cricketer Basit Ali has criticized the Pakistan cricket team’s poor performance against New Zealand, stating that their downfall began after the Asia Cup 2023 group stage match against India.

While speaking on his YouTube channel, Basit Ali remarked that the Green Shirts’ decline started the day Indian batters hammered Pakistani bowlers in the Asia Cup.

Pakistan suffered a crushing defeat by 228 runs in the fourth match against arch-rivals India, thanks to sublime centuries from KL Rahul and Virat Kohli.

“The first match of the Asia Cup against India got washed out because of rain. The way Virat and Rahul hammered our bowlers, since then neither Pakistan’s batting nor bowling has stabilised. In last year’s T20 World Cup, we couldn’t chase 119,” he said.

He warned that if the national team continues to play like that, they may have to play qualifying rounds to secure a spot in major tournaments.

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“If we don’t make decisions and improve our base, we will have to play qualifying rounds,” he remarked.

“We lost all 10 wickets to pacers. Our top-order batters got out early. Talent has finished in Pakistan. Pakistan’s cricket starts with Babar Azam’s name and ends with it,” Basit further stated.

It is pertinent to mention that after a dismal performance in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, the Men in Green suffered a 4-1 in the T20I series against New Zealand.

Aiming to bounce back in the One Day International series, Pakistan instead lost the first two matches by 73 and 84 runs, respectively, conceding the three-match series 2-0 with one game remaining.

The Black Caps outplayed Pakistan in all departments of the game, further exposing the national team’s struggles.

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