Basit Denounces Grant Flower, Asks PCB To Issue Statement In Younis' Favour

Former middle-order batsman Basit Ali has denounced erstwhile Zimbabwe batsman Grant Flower for ballooning an incident that involved former Pakistan great Younis Khan

ISLAMABAD, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 3rd Jul, 2020 ):Former middle-order batsman Basit Ali has denounced erstwhile Zimbabwe batsman Grant Flower for ballooning an incident that involved former Pakistan great Younis Khan.

Grant Flower, who was Pakistan's batting coach between 2014 and 2019, recently appeared on the 'Following On Cricket' podcast, claiming that on a Down Under tour, Younis brought a knife to his throat when he tried to advice the batsman. According to Flower the incident occurred at the breakfast table during Brisbane Test and then-Pakistan coach Mickey Arthur had to intervene.

Basit Ali while strongly reacting to Grant Flower's claim asked Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to take action and issue a statement in favour of Younis Khan.

"He is one of our great cricketers. He has scored 10,000 runs for Pakistan. It has really hurt my feelings. I'll be happy if PCB issues a statement on the matter, but I'll be dejected if that does not happen," Basit said in a video message.

"Such a statement is not good for our country's cricket. He is in England now [as Pakistan batting coach] and this [Flower's] statement may affect his performance. If PCB issues a statement at this time then it will embolden all Pakistani players," he said.

He said Pakistan cricket was not in such a bad state that coaches like Grant Flower would come out to advice a great batsman like Younis Khan.

Basit recalled an incident when he was at National Cricket Academy Lahore and Grant Flower was teaching a Pakistani Test opener to practice with white ball.

"When I saw him doing that I went to him and asked him whether this practice was being done for One-days or Test matches. I told him that in Tests it is the red ball which is used and not the white ball.

"I also told him that the thing which he was trying to develop in that [particular] batsman was not possible as he was not a player of that sort. Upon that, he asked me Basit you go and teach him." He said Grant Flower should be thankful to Mickey Arthur, as it was the South African who first brought him in Pakistan and afterwards took him to Sri Lanka. "It is a pity that I'm talking about you [Flower] like that as you've served our country as a batting coach. But you knew nothing about batting.

According to Basit a look at Pakistan's batting during Grant Flower's tenure would reveal that he contributed nothing for its improvement.

"What were his contributions? Did he develop a player?" he questioned.

He said Grant Flower represented Zimbabwe in Tests but his team was not a winning side. "You should think about which player you are talking about. I did not want to record my video message like this, but this [statement] has really hurt me."Basit said that in future Pakistan should avoid appointing people like Grant Flower. "I'd already said that when they [people like Grant Flower] will leave Pakistan they would issue statements like that. They are average players and average coaches and need such statements for their publicity," he added.