Basit Ali blames Shaheen Afridi–Babar Azam fallout after Lord's defeat

Former Pakistan batter Basit Ali blamed a fallout between Shaheen Shah Afridi and Babar Azam for the national side's decline after Pakistan's 194-run defeat to England at Lord's, a result reported on September 1, 2026 that left Pakistan 0-2 in the three-match Test series. His remarks followed widespread criticism of Pakistan's performances in the opening two Tests against England.

Basit said the dispute over captaincy had a damaging impact on Pakistan cricket, linking the internal split to the team's recent struggles. Babar had stepped down as Pakistan captain after the 2023 ODI World Cup and Shaheen took over the T20I captaincy; poor results in New Zealand later prompted Babar to reclaim a leadership role and Shaheen to be removed from the captaincy.

On the 'Game Plan' show Ali said: "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. When there was a falling-out between the two over the captaincy, Pakistan cricket was ruined that day." He added: "Many statements were made, saying Shaheen is a very good bowler and Babar is a very good bowler. The rift, whoever created that, the side effects can be seen now."

Babar was removed from the T20I captaincy again after Pakistan failed to reach the semi-finals of the 2024 T20 World Cup, and the side subsequently adopted separate captains across formats: Babar for Tests, Shaheen for ODIs and Salman Ali Agha for T20Is. Those format-specific appointments preceded the current criticism of the Test team's form in England.

Following the Lord's defeat the Pakistan Cricket Board made further changes: seven players, including Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Ali Agha, were sent home, and Test coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling head Umar Gul were removed from their positions. Babar was appointed Test captain earlier this year after replacing Shan Masood and began that tenure with a drawn two-match series against the West Indies but has since faced scrutiny over his leadership and batting form.

The right-hander has gone four years without scoring a Test century, and Shaheen has been left out of Pakistan's red-ball plans. White-ball coach Mike Hesson will take charge of Pakistan for the third and final Test against England in Birmingham.