[ad_1]
According to him, the winning captain of the Pakistan World Cup in 1992 and the current Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, who retired from international cricket after that edition of the World Cup, was behind the star hitter Miandad was sidelined in 1993.
Basit, who represented Pakistan in 19 Tests and 50 ODIs between 1993 and 1996 and often made comparisons to Miandad due to his batting style, also alleged that the comparisons were a ploy to eliminate Miandad and that he was used as a pawn.
“There was a conspiracy to remove Javed Miandad from the team (around 1993). So they compared me to him. Honestly, it wasn’t even one percent of what Miandad was. I used to hit at number 4 and when Miandad was taken from me, they changed me to number 6. At number 4, I used to average 55 and when they changed me to 6, my performance dropped. They knew that in that position, he would almost never get to hit. They gave me a slow poison, ”Basit told Timesofindia.com in an exclusive interview from Pakistan.
“I was very passionate about my game. I used to go for the big shots and get out. My hitting just used to come. ”
When asked who asked him to hit number 4 first and then go down to 6, Basit said: “Wasim Akram was the captain at the time, but the man responsible for Miandad’s expulsion is the one who used to give the orders and that was Imran Khan. ”
Basit also revealed that after being removed from the ODI team in 1993, Miandad, who represented Pakistan in 6 World Cups (the highest in cricket history), approached the players and asked them to let him play his sixth World Cup.
“I’m going to share something that you may not be aware of. I have been silent for my country. Miandad was not included in the 1996 World Cup squad. His name was not there initially. I was there in the 15-member squad. But he came in with a request to the players and said he wanted to play the World Cup. He asked us: who will give me his place? He wanted to make the most appearances at the World Cup. So, I retired, “said Basit
“I was at my best (in 1995 and 1996) at the time, but I still sacrificed my place because I respected Miandad,” the former cricket player told TimesofIndia.com.
Miandad, known for his unique technique and control while batting, is one of only two cricketers in the world who have represented his country in six World Cups. The other is the Indian hitting legend Sachin Tendulkar.
In 33 World Cup games between 1975 and 1996, Miandad scored 1083 runs with an average of 43.32, including a century. He scored a 103-ball fine against Sri Lanka at the 1987 World Cup.
He also played 124 tests and 233 ODI for Pakistan, scoring 8832 and 7381 runs respectively. The Pakistani legend has 23 Test and 8 ODI centuries under his belt.
Basit also claimed that when Wasim Akram became the captain of Pakistan in 1993, some players rebelled against the star player.
“In 1993, there was a revolt against Akram when he became captain of the Pakistan team. The players rebelled against Akram and told him that he follows Imran’s orders, so they will not play under him, “Basit said.
