Basit Ali took a dig at the Pakistan Super League franchises.© BCCI
Former cricketer Basit Ali took a dig at the Pakistan Super League and drew a comparison between the current Pakistan team and the PSL teams, following the franchises’ struggles to chase in the ongoing edition of the nation’s premier T20 tournament. In the 10th edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), franchises have found it hard to orchestrate a successful chase. Out of eight fixtures, Karachi Kings and the defending champions, Islamabad United, are the only teams to stand triumphant in their attempts to chase the given target.
Baist, who has closely monitored the events unfolding in the PSL, lambasted the teams for their inability to compete. He compared the Pakistan team and the franchises by underlining the similar “mindset” factor.
“The condition of Pakistan and PSL teams is the same. There is no mindset. They can’t chase. I feel sad to see this. PSL standard has gone down. This is not cricket. The Champions Cup had better cricket,” Basit said on his YouTube channel.
Both chases were pulled off during the initial days of the ongoing PSL. Islamabad began its title defence by gunning down Lahore Qalandars’ 140-run target in the lung-opener clash. In the third fixture of Pakistan’s top-tier T20 tournament, Karachi toppled Multan Kings 234/5 with an explosive century from James Vince.
The 54-year-old went on to cite the cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL) as an example to make his case for the lack of cut-throat fixtures in Pakistan. Basit feels the absence of gripping matches has removed the element of fun from the league.
“In IPL, such scores are chased in an over before. Here, our teams lose by 50 or 60 runs. Hasan Ali has been bowling well and will return to the team. There is no fun because of the lack of competitiveness,” he added.
The PSL action will continue on Saturday with the two bottom sides, Peshawar Zalmi and Multan Sultans, going head-to-head to find some winning momentum in their favour.
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