Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali criticized the Salman Ali Aga-led team for failing to reach the semi-finals of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 without being eliminated. The cricketer-turned-expert described it as Mike Hesson’s team and accused the head coach of fielding a franchise-style team for the Pakistan national cricket team.
Pakistan missed out on a place in the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup 2026 due to low net run rate (NRR). They defeated Sri Lanka by five runs in their final Super 8 match in Pallekele on Saturday, 28 February. The Greens finished third behind New Zealand in Men’s Group 2, as a modest win was not enough for them.
They don’t get out of semis – Basit Ali
Sahibzada Farhan and Fakhar Zaman put on a 176-run partnership for the first wicket, putting Pakistan in a strong position to improve their net run rate. However, the team lost eight wickets by adding only 49 runs in the last five overs.
Basit Ali, speaking on his YouTube channel, expressed grief over the disappointing performance of the middle order. He said that if he had added more runs, the semi-final spot would have been his.
“If Pakistan had scored 65 runs instead of 36 in those last overs, they would not have been out of the semi-finals.”
Mike Hesson openly says Babar lacks intent in powerplay – Basit Ali
Basit Ali questioned why Babar Azam was selected if the head coach felt he lacked intent and had a low strike rate in the powerplay. He also raised questions on Babar’s batting position.
“He openly said that Babar lacks intent in the powerplay and his strike rate is very low,” Basit said. “If he is not suitable after 10 slow overs, then why was he picked in the team? Who picked him, and who will hold the head coach accountable?”
“I have said this on TV before – don’t make Babar bat at number four, that position is not suitable for him. You cannot even make this sacrifice – that the guy comes in at number three and scores runs. So your intentions were not right.”
He further said that Usman Khan was pushed down the order after scoring 44 runs in almost 20 balls against India. Basit said that Usman did not have the support of the team management and was never the preferred choice.
“To be honest, he’s not a favorite,” Basit said, in the matter-of-fact tone of someone who has repeated this particular pattern so many times that he can’t help but be surprised by it. “The truth is he’s not the favorite.”
Don’t call it Pakistan’s team, call it Mike Hesson’s team – Basit Ali
Basit Ali called it a mistake to repeatedly drop Abrar Ahmed throughout the tournament. He also took aim at former Pakistan players working as television pundits and questioned why some of them were openly supporting Shadab Khan as the future captain.
“We lost the England match – Abrar was not there. Usman Tariq got injured today, but Abrar was important to be there,” he said. “These are the things I never forget. When it comes to cricket, I have a habit of making detailed notes – if I showed you, it would fill pages.”
He said, “Really – have some shame and give some real advice for the country.” “You have represented this country. Is this what we get?”
He then accused the team management of running Pakistan cricket like a franchise setup and claimed that the team looks more like a club team than the national team. Basit urged the Pakistan Cricket Board to bring in experienced people and focus on long-term improvement.
“This Pakistan team looked to me like a franchise cricket team. Whenever the coach interferes in choosing the team, that’s what happens. Don’t call it Pakistan team. Call it Mike Hesson’s team.”
“Sir, surgery is needed. Bring in good people. Have good advisors. Your cricket will not improve in a year. Bring in people who have a good service record, who understand cricket, and who can take your cricket forward step by step at the junior level. If your system becomes stronger, cricket will get better – otherwise, it will not happen.”
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