In Pakistan People Would Have Thrown Vaibhav Suryavanshi Out: Former Pakistan Cricketer

Former Pakistani cricketer Basit Ali was seriously impressed by the panache and aggression shown by 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi on his Indian Premier League (IPL) debut, when he hit his first ball for a six. Basit asserted that had Suryavanshi been from Pakistan and got out playing that shot, he would have been dropped. 

The 54-year-old, who played cricket for Pakistan mainly in the 90s, felt that Suryavanshi’s growth would have been stifled in the Pakistan cricket ecosystem because of its archaic approach.

“The 14-year-old kid, Vaibhav Suryavanshi — the way he smashed that first ball for six, it’s a huge deal,” Ali said. 

“Imagine what would have happened had he gotten out trying to hit the first ball for six? What would people have said? In Pakistan, people would have said, throw him out. But this is how confidence is given, which later pays off.”

The Karachi-born also said that it was a great way for the 14-year-old to announce himself to the world. 

“My word, what the hell was that? One of the hardest shots in cricket is to gain power over cover off the front shoe … Power to burn from the 14-year-old. What a way to announce yourself to the world.”

The batter, who played 19 Tests and 50 ODIs for Pakistan, also praised the IPL for unearthing quality new talent every season. He called the IPL number one in the world for that reason. 

“The class of IPL – when I call it No. 1, my Pakistan brothers feel bad,” he said. 

“But all they do is waste their hands and time. Look at the immense pool of talent, this season alone. Nehal Wadhera, Priyansh Arya, Abdul Samad, Ashwani Kumar. I want to see Mayank Yadav in particular. I am eagerly waiting for him to be match fit. I really want to see his bowling.”