Usman Khawaja was the showstopper for Australia, scoring a whopping 180 runs as the tourists posted 480 runs in the first innings against India in Ahmedabad. While Khawaja drew plaudits from the entire cricketing fraternity for his heroics with the bat, former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali some bizarre remarks on the opening batter, suggesting he played with a ‘timid approach’. In fact, Ali also said that Australia’s top-scoring batter Khawaja played ‘like a batsman from Bangladesh’.
In a video shared on YouTube, Basit made extremely critical remarks on the Australian cricket team, slamming the pace with they scored runs en route the 480-run total they put on the board in the first innings.
“The way Australia played it felt like the team from 1970-80. They won the toss and scored 255 on Day 1 and 225 on Day 2. It felt like Australia are leading 2-1 in the series but it is India, who are leading 2-1. Just because they have reached the finals of World Test Championship, so they have maintained a defensive approach,” he said.
Ali slammed Khawaja’s approach but admitted that he was impressed by the manner with which Cameron Green applied himself, scoring his maiden Test ton.
“Usman Khawaja played like a batsman from Bangladesh. His approach was very timid, and I feel it was a selfish innings. You score 180 runs after playing 422 deliveries in this pitch. Only Green looked like a batter from Australia,” Ali remarked.
Ali also took a swipe at Australia’s stand-in skipper Steve Smith and coach Andrew McDonald. The former Pakistan star feels it’s all a ploy from the Australian management to remove Pat Cummins as the team’s full-time Test skipper.
“The mindset with which Steve Smith and their coach Andrew McDonald employed was extremely sad. Their coach was an ordinary player and his thinking too is very ordinary. I also want to make one more point that this is a plot to remove Pat Cummins from the captaincy and reinstate Smith as their new leader. Smith led Australia to a win in the third Test and they now want to play a draw, so Smith can once again be at the helm with his selected group of players,” Ali asserted.
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