"All this is just a play-act; I can bet on it that more than half of them don't know what's written in their tweet" - Salman Butt makes stunning claim about Pakistan cricketers' tweets
Former Pakistan skipper Salman Butt has made some stunning claims about how Pakistan cricketers use Twitter.
Leg-spinner Shadab Khan's tweet is likely what prompted Salman Butt's comments. Shadab took to the microblogging site earlier this week to accept that his dropped catches cost his team in the Asia Cup 2022 final.
Catches win matches. Sorry, I take responsibility for this loss. I let my team down. Positives for team, @iNaseemShah, @HarisRauf14, @mnawaz94 and the entire bowling attack was great. @iMRizwanPak fought hard. The entire team tried their best. Congratulations to Sri Lanka https://t.co/7qPgAalzbt
In response, fast bowler Hasan Ali posted a reel in Shadab's support that showed what a great fielder the latter was. However, Butt has now claimed that all these tweets were pre-planned since the entire team has the same manager who tweets and decides the content.
Speaking in a video on his YouTube channel, Butt said:
"The funny part is that they all have one manager and he only posts good things about one player and then he only goes to the other end and acknowledges it. It's just become a circus."
He added:
"A player from one end apologizes for his mistake but then the other says 'No brother, you played really well'. But all these tweets are done by the same manager (laughs). All this is just a play-act. I can bet on it that more than half of them don't know what's written in their tweet."
Salman Butt slams Pakistan's team selection after loss in the Asia Cup final
Butt believes Pakistan's batting crumbling in the Asia Cup final was just a reflection of how rigid their approach has been, especially in this format. The Men in Green lost the last eight wickets for just 54 runs.
Butt feels there are some players in the team who haven't been selected on merit. He stated:
"(On Pakistan's loss in Asia Cup final) You call it pressure, I call it a true result. This is the true result of what you have been doing for the past three years. Your batting crumbles under pressure and you can't play high-quality bowling attacks.
"This is the pressure of the result that they have only themselves to blame for. Players who haven't even had a couple of fifties since the past three years are still playing."
He also commented on Pakistan taking their time to announce their T20 World Cup squad despite the cut-off date just around the corner. He added:
"Pakistan team is open to changes, especially in the middle-order. We have never announced a team on time. And even when we have, there have always been last moment changes. So even if the team is announced, players can't be sure of their places because they can be replaced on the last moment. We always keep on pushing the cut-off dates."
What changes should Pakistan need to make to have a chance to have a successful T20 World Cup campaign? Let us know in the comments.