Usman Khawaja was the star performer for Australia, making a massive 180 runs as the visitors defeated India in Ahmedabad by 480 runs in the first innings. While Khawaja received praise from the entire cricket community for his prodigious bat skills, veteran Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali made some odd comments about the opening batter, claiming he had a “timid attitude” to his game. Khawaja, Australia’s leading scorer, actually batted “like a batsman from Bangladesh,” according to Ali.
Basit attacked the Australian cricket team in a video posted to YouTube, criticising the rate at which they scored runs when they reached their first-inning total of 480 runs. “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.