Former Pakistan batter Basit Ali has criticised Mohammad Haris over his comments about prohibiting discussion about the match against India in the dressing room during the upcoming ACC Men’s T20 Emerging Teams Asia Cup.
Haris is currently leading Pakistan Shaheens, who will take on last year’s finalists India ‘A’ in their opening match of the T20 Emerging Teams Asia Cup on 19 October.
The Pakistan captain shared that he is keen on ensuring that his players do not succumb to pressure ahead of the match against India. As a result, he has instructed the players not to engage in discussions regarding the blockbuster match.
“Talking about India is banned in the dressing room,” said Haris. “Players feel pressure when thinking about the match against India and we don’t want to put them under pressure.”
However, the statement did not sit well with Basit Ali, who did not mince his words while criticising Haris during a video on his social media account.
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“He has no sense of what to speak and what not to. If somebody thinks the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has given those instructions, then that is wrong,” Basit stated.
It’s worth noting that Pakistan Shaheens’ second outing in the tournament will be against hosts Oman on 21 October, followed by their final group match will be against the UAE on 23 October.
The top two sides from each group will qualify for the semi-finals scheduled to take place on 25 October. The final will take place on Sunday, 27 October.
Pakistan Shaheens’ Squad
Mohammad Haris (c), Abdul Samad, Ahmed Daniyal, Arafat Minhas, Haider Ali, Haseebullah, Mehran Mumtaz, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Imran Jnr, Omair Bin Yousuf, Qasim Akram, Shahnawaz Dahani, Sufiyan Moqim, Yasir Khan and Zaman Khan
Team management: Umar Rasheed (head coach-cum-manager), Imran Farhat (batting coach), Riffatullah Mohmand (fielding coach), Usman Hashmi (analyst) and Syed Mohammad Asad (physiotherapist)
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