(Source X)
Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali heavily criticized Sri Lanka’s allrounder Wanindu Hasaranga following his dismal performance against India in the second T20I at Pallekele. Hasaranga’s day went sour as he entered the fray at number 7 during Sri Lanka’s innings, desperately needing to propel his team. However, he was out for a golden duck, attempting an ill-advised shot off a googly on his first delivery.
Despite the dismissal of Dasun Shanaka just before him, Hasaranga showed no patience, opting for an ambitious slog sweep that resulted in his immediate downfall, bowled by legspinner Ravi Bishnoi.
On the bowling front, Hasaranga faced further humiliation as Yashasvi Jaiswal and Suryakumar Yadav took him to task. He leaked 15 runs in his initial four deliveries and was plundered for 18 more in his subsequent over, concluding with figures of 1-34 from two overs.
Basit Ali slams Wanindu Hasaranga for his poor performance.
During a recent session on his YouTube channel, Basit Ali didn’t hold back as he criticized Wanindu Hasaranga’s lackluster display with both bat and ball. Basit went as far as suggesting that Hasaranga’s recent performances indicate he might be overshadowing the game itself.
“Number one all-rounder, Wanindu Hasaranga. I think he has become bigger than cricket. Cricket is small, he is big. He got out on the first ball by playing a poor shot. With the ball, he was taken to the cleaners by Suryakumar Yadav and Yashasvi Jaiswal,” Basit Ali said.
Continuing his critique, Basit Ali humorously suggested that Wanindu Hasaranga should be awarded the Player of the Match title and given a break for the upcoming third T20I. He further advised Hasaranga to take a page out of Ravi Bishnoi’s book and learn from his performances.
“According to me, the Man of the Match should be given to Hasaranga. Give him the Player of the Match award and ask him to rest for the third match. He hits silly shots and his bowling is also the same. It seems as if he has become Boom Boom Bumrah. He should learn from (Ravi) Bishnoi,” Basit Ali stated.
Basit Ali, the ex-Pakistan cricketer, speculated that Sri Lanka might be succumbing to pressure merely at the mention of India’s formidable cricketing stature. He criticized their middle-order batsmen for faltering in converting promising starts into substantial scores.
“Sri Lanka’s middle-order batters just couldn’t perform. I think India’s dominance is such that Sri Lanka is afraid of India’s name. In both matches, there were good partnerships followed by sudden collapses. I don’t know whether their middle-order knows how to bat or not,” Ali wondered.
In the initial two T20Is, Sri Lanka began their innings promisingly but faced sudden collapses. During the first match, they were well-placed at 140-1 while chasing 214 runs. However, they lost nine wickets for just 30 runs, ultimately being dismissed for 170 in 19.2 overs. This trend persisted into the second T20I, where Sri Lanka lost seven wickets for 31 runs, concluding their innings at 161-9 in their allotted 20 overs.
