Former cricketer Salman Butt gives Pakistan some reality check.
Former Pakistan Test captain Salman Butt has talked about the strategies of the Pakistan squad for ICC T20 World Cup 2021. Going through the warm-up matches Pakistan has played 2 warm-ups against West Indies and South Africa out of which it has won only 1 against the West Indies.
The former cricketer slams Pakistan with some harsh reality check over their strategies and called them ‘insecure’. He said that Pakistan’s captain could have given some chances to some of the fresh or the old pairs to play.
He also appreciated India that it has utilized all the players efficiently whether they’re in the squad or not or if they were prepared enough to perform or not. Salman took it to the extent where he called them ‘insecure’ to secure more runs than other team members. Salman Butt slammed by saying:
“India has utilized these warmup matches well… they’ve given game time to everyone even though they’ve all played the IPL. If they had not done this and had played with their playing XI, even then we could have argued that ‘They haven’t played together as a team so are doing it now. But even they didn’t do it. I don’t know what insecurity we have that ‘someone else should not make runs in that position or someone else should not get that opportunity. For God’s sake, you are the captain, you have to use your players, where will you do that?”
Butt being hypothetical puts up his dilemma into words that if all the top-order batsman gets straightaway out then what will the captain or the players are going to do. And even mentioned Babar’s knocking off against South Africa. He added:
“Can’t it happen that God forbid that you both [Babar and Rizwan] will get out in the first over? Then also someone will have to play against the new ball. See, Babar got out early here [against South Africa] na? Now, what is their mindset of going ahead? I don’t understand this strategy.”
Butt feels, what is the use of having warm-up matches before the mains? If the captain itself is going in the middle of the pitch being the opener. Rather the matches could be used for testing players’ abilities.
Salman Butt showed his extreme disappointment and said that players are only thinking about their performance and not the collective performance as a team. In extreme disappointment Butt concluded:
“I am disappointed to say this again, but what are the benefits of seeing Babar and Rizwan opening the batting in warmup matches? This match should have been used for Haidar Ali, Asif Ali, Mohammad Wasim, [Mohammad] Nawaz and to bring back Mohammad Hafeez’s form which has been lost for so long. Why are they coming to open? Maybe one of them could have opened but again both are coming. Even if they score runs, they are doing it for 1.5 years and they’ll continue to open. Even if they make 300 and defeat South Africa easily, if those 3-4 boys don’t get the game time, there’s no benefit of this practice match.”
Salman Butt showed his extreme disappointment and said that Pakistan is only thinking about their performance and not the collective performance as a team.
Talking about the strategies it is important to remember the important date of the clash between India – Pakistan which will headstart on 24th October at 7:30 pm (IST).
