"They are afraid of social media" - Former cricketer blasts Babar Azam & Muhammad Rizwan's inclusion for NZ vs PAK 2025 tour

Former Pakistani cricketer Basit Ali expressed his displeasure over Muhammad Rizwan and Babar Azam's inclusion in the Men in Green's ODI team for the upcoming three-match ODI series against New Zealand. The two senior players didn't find a place in the squad for the five-match T20I series but retained their positions in the 50-over side.

Basit alleged that the Pakistani selectors picked Rizwan and Babar in the squad just to escape from the wrath of their fans on social media. Suggesting that the selectors lack the courage to drop big names, the cricketer-turned-expert said in his latest YouTube video (from 6:20 onwards):

"They removed Rizwan and Babar from T20Is but put them in the ODI team. If you had the guts, you would have rested them for both the series, but they didn't because they are afraid of social media."

Basit also didn't agree with the selectors' decision to keep pacers Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf in the T20I squad. Claiming that the two fast bowlers were picked because of their connections, he remarked (from 4:00 onwards):

"How did Haris Rauf and Shaheen Afridi come? They dropped them from ODIs and brought them into T20Is. Yeh hoti hai jaan pehchan (This is acquaintance). I am not saying they are bad bowlers, but when you removed Rizwan on the performance of Champions Trophy, then these two also didn't deserve to be in the side."

Pakistan suffered a group-stage exit at the 2025 Champions Trophy under Rizwan's captaincy. Despite the dismal campaign, the team management showed faith in the wicketkeeper-batter's abilities and named him as the skipper of the ODI series against New Zealand. However, he was sacked as the T20I skipper.

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"This team is made on the basis of likes and dislikes" - Basti Ali on Pakistan's squads for New Zealand tours

In the aforementioned video, Basit Ali stated that the Pakistani think tank overlooked deserving players and selections were made based on their likes and dislikes.

Naming a few players who should have been part of the side for the New Zealand tour, Basit said (from 2:20 onwards):

"I will take a few names. The likes of Faisal Akram, Arafat Minhas, Haseebullah Khan, Khurram Shahzad and Qasim Akram were missing from the squads. There was nobody from U19. This team is made on the basis of likes and dislikes."

Pakistan's tour of New Zealand will kick off with the five-match T20I series on March 16.