Rift between Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi responsible for Pakistan cricket's downfall: Basit Ali

Pakistan cricket has undergone significant changes in recent years, with the captaincy rotating across multiple formats and personnel. Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Shan Masood and Shaheen Afridi have all held the captain's role at different points, reflecting the instability in leadership structure across the national team.

Former Pakistan batter Basit Ali has attributed the country's recent cricket struggles to tensions between two of the team's senior players. Ali believes that reported differences between Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi regarding captaincy have directly contributed to Pakistan's declining performance on the international stage.

"Babar Azam is not a strong captain. I am not speaking about this based on the performance in England. He has made many wrong decisions. The main reason for Pakistan cricket's downfall is the rift between Shaheen and Babar," Basit said on the 'Game Plan' show.

"When there was a falling-out between the two over the captaincy, Pakistan cricket was ruined that day," he added.

Ali opined that the crack in the relationship between Babar and Shaheen, two of Pakistan's best players in modern-day cricket, had a negative impact on the others in and around the national team.

"Many statements were made, saying Shaheen is a very good bowler and Babar is a very good batter. The rift, whoever created that, the side effects can be seen now," he added.

Pakistan's recent squad changes reflect the broader instability within the team structure. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) released seven players from the Test squad following a 194-run defeat in the second Test against England, signalling a major overhaul of the team composition.

The PCB brought in five uncapped players alongside Saim Ayub and Abdullah Fazal to strengthen the Test squad for upcoming assignment, which is the third and final Test against England in Birmingham, starting on September 9. The uncapped players included the introduction of Arafat Minhas, Mohammad Imran Jnr, Saad Baig, Mohammad Imran Randhawa and Razaullah to the national setup.

Also Read: 'Ridiculous decisions by PCB' - Ex-Pakistan coach Mickey Arthur slams selectors for squad overhaul after Lord's defeat

The coaching structure also underwent significant changes, with Mike Hesson and Ashley Noffke joining the Test setup in new roles. Sarfaraz Ahmed and Umar Gul parted ways with the team during this period of restructuring.