NEW DELHI: Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali has voiced his disappointment over a heated on-field incident between Pakistan A’s Sufiyan Muqeem and India A’s opener Abhishek Sharma during the ACC Men’s T20 Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2024.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Basit criticized Muqeem’s behaviour, emphasizing that young cricketers need to learn sportsmanship and respect for opponents.
“The cricket was top-class, but one thing that really upset me was the incident involving Sufiyan Muqeem and Abhishek Sharma. If I were sitting in the dugout or the team manager, I would have told Sufiyan, ‘Son, pick up your things and go back.’ You haven’t even played proper cricket for Pakistan yet, and you’re already using abusive language—what kind of behaviour is this?” Basit said.
Referring to Muqeem’s send-off gesture after dismissing Abhishek Sharma, Basit added, “You’re hurling abuses—did you take a hat-trick or something? (Aap gaaliyan de rahe hai, kya aapne hat-trick leliya?) You’re not at that level yet. The management needs to teach young players how to respect the opposition.”
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The controversial moment occurred during a tense clash between India A and Pakistan A at Al Amerat.
Abhishek Sharma had gotten off to a flying start, scoring 35 off 22 balls, with five boundaries and two sixes. However, his innings came to an end in the sixth over when he mistimed a shot off Muqeem’s bowling, leading to a sharp catch by Qasim Akram.
After the dismissal, Muqeem made a “silence gesture” toward Abhishek, which infuriated the Indian opener, leading to a heated exchange. Umpires Chamara de Zoysa and Rahul Asher had to step in to restore order.
Despite the tension, India A held their nerve to secure a narrow 7-run win, posting 183/8 and restricting Pakistan A to 176/7.
