T20 World Cup 2022: "We still don't know how Pakistan gets them" - Salman Butt's cheeky response as to why India doesn't produce genuine fast bowlers
Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt came up with a cheeky response to a query on why India doesn’t produce genuine fast bowlers. He stated that he doesn’t know how Pakistan dishes out so many fast bowlers, so how can he talk about India?
Pakistan is renowned for producing a number of talented fast bowlers, some of whom, like Imran Khan, Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis, have gone on to become legends of the game. During a press conference on Saturday (October 15), current skipper Babar Azam also admitted that the team has always been blessed in the fast-bowling department.
In an interaction on his official YouTube channel, Butt was asked why India cannot produce fast bowlers like Pakistan do. He replied in a tongue-in-cheek manner and said:
“We still don’t know how Pakistan gets them, so how can we find out why India doesn’t produce them? (Smiles).”
On a serious note, Butt added that while Pakistan have an abundance of pace-bowling talent, India are known for their batting stars. He stated:
“We are blessed to have genuine pace; India is mostly blessed with very fine batters. Both countries have been blessed with their own strengths.”
In the present Indian team, captain Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and KL Rahul are among the top batters in international cricket across formats.
“He is not a technical player” - Salman Butt on Pakistan batter Asif Ali
During his YouTube show, Butt was also asked by a fan to analyze Asif Ali’s technique. He came up with another hilarious response, claiming that the batter doesn’t have one. The 38-year-old commented:
“Jo cheeh hai hi nahi, uske baare mein ki gal kare? (What can I say about something that is not there?) He is not a technical player, he's a power player. He has a zone in which he hits big sixes. You can be very powerful, but you can have no technique at all.”
Asif will likely be seen in action when Pakistan take on India in the T20 World Cup 2022 Super 12 clash at the MCG on October 23. The Men in Blue will be without the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja, who have been ruled out due to injury.
Despite the absence of big names, Butt feels that the interest in the match will not be diluted. Sharing his thoughts on the game, he concluded:
“Even if some big names are not available due to fitness and injury issues, interest in an Indo-Pak clash will not be reduced. This match has its own fan following. At any level, an India-Pakistan match is a big game. The viewership of the game won’t be impacted.”
Pakistan will go into the upcoming clash with the upper hand, having beaten India in two of the last three meetings between the teams.