Former Pakistan batter Basit Ali has made a bold prediction about the India versus Pakistan Asia Cup clash on September 14.
The eight-nation Asia Cup will be the first major event in the build-up to next year's T20 World Cup in India in February and March. The Asia Cup will begin on September 9 with defending champions India set to face hosts United Arab Emirates a day later in Dubai in the eight-nation tournament.
India and arch-rivals Pakistan have been clubbed in Group A and clash on September 14.
Basit was furious about the way Pakistan Cricket Board is functioning in the recent years.
A couple of days ago, Pakistan Cricket Board has downgraded deals for Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan in the latest list of 30 centrally contracted players announced.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Both Babar and Rizwan were in category A but have been relegated to join Abrar Ahmed, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan and Shaheen Shah Afridi in category B.
Pakistan finished at the bottom of the ICC World Test Championship and the PCB has demoted its test captain Shan Masood from category B to category D.
Fast bowler Naseem Shah, who was also dropped for the upcoming T20 tournaments in the United Arab Emirates, was dropped from the second tier to the third tier of contracted players.
Wickekeeper-batter Usman Khan, who chose to play for Pakistan over the UAE, was among the eight international players who didn’t get a central contract.
While some key Pakistan cricketers were demoted, legs-pinner Ahmed, fast bowler Rauf, opening batter Ayub, T20 captain Agha and legspinner Shadab Khan were all upgraded from C to B category contracts.
The contracts run through June 30, 2026.
Basit has called the entire saga about the contract a "joke."
He then further stated: "
Ek majaak abhi aur hoga jab September 14 ko India vs Pakistan match hoga. Wahaan ek majaak aur hoga.(One more joke will happen when India faces Pakistan on September 14. Another joke will unfold there)," he told Kamran Akmal on a YouTube show "Game Time."
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