"Does He Play For India?": Pakistan Star Blasts PCB Over Selective VVIP Treatment

Out-of-favour Pakistan pacer Hasan Ali has accused his country's cricket board of favouritism. Speaking in a recent interaction, Hasan questioned the PCB for sending star batter Saim Ayub for treatment in London, while adding why other players don't get the same privilege. Hasan also recalled the time when he suffered multiple injuries and was out of cricket for lengthy period, revealing that the PCB did not come to his aide at that time. Saim has been out of action since the tour of South Africa last month, and will take no part in the upcoming Champions Trophy. He suffered a right ankle fracture and is currently in London for rehabiliation.

"Saim Ayub is injured. He is the player of your team. Wasn't I a member of the team in 2020? If another player gets injured, won't he be a member of the team? Does he play for India?" Hasan said on 'Ultra Edge' podcast.

Hasan, however, hoped to see Saim back in action soon, but suggested that if he gets injured again, he might not get the same privilege from PCB again.

"You're giving VVIP Treatment to Saim Ayub. If someone gets injured in the future, would you give him the same treatment? No, you won't. So, what have you done here? May God give him health and fitness, and may he win a lot of matches for Pakistan. But every rise has a fall. If Saim Ayub gets injured again, will they treat him the same? No, they won't," he added.

Recently, former Australia captain Ricky Ponting showered praise on Ayub and called him a "high-quality" cricketer.

"Saim Ayub is a high-quality player, and his absence is a massive gap to fill," Ponting was quoted by ICC as saying.

Ponting also hailed Pakistan's bowling attack and said that Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah have been "terrific" in the recently ongoing ODI Tri Series series.

"But Pakistan's fast bowling brigade is very, very good. Led by Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah, who've been terrific in recent series, they have the pace and skill to trouble any batting line-up. Babar has been a bit up and down in recent years, but if he and Rizwan can bring their A-games, that's when Pakistan becomes incredibly dangerous," he added. 

Pakistan squad: Mohammad Rizwan (c), Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, Khushdil Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Usman Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi.

Topics mentioned in this article

Pakistan Cricket Team Saim Ayub Hasan Ali ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Cricket