“Does anyone have any sense of cricket?” - Salman Butt on Pakistan cricket
Salman Butt has questioned the current state of Pakistan cricket as Babar Azam and Co. lost the Test series against England and Australia at home this year.
The former Pakistan captain reckons that the PCB, selection committee, and team management don't have "any sense" in choosing players or how to use certain players in a particular game.
The veteran questioned why Mohammad Hasnain wasn’t picked in the squad despite his ability to generate reverse swing, which was lacking in their pace attack throughout the series.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Butt said:
“If you think Hasnain can generate reverse swing and bowl three overs of pace on a trot, why can't he do it four times a day? Does anyone have any sense of cricket?”
He also felt that Pakistan under-bowled Faheem Ashraf as England scored 354 in their first innings despite struggling at 145-5 at one stage.
“You’re playing Faheem Ashraf in Test cricket and giving him one over. Why don’t they play other spinners? Why not Yasir Shah? Why not Nawaz?”
Salman Butt feels there is no replacement for Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf
Butt further claimed that Pakistan cricket don’t have any replacements for the injured pacers Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf. The duo missed three and two Test matches against England, respectively.
The statement came after all the pace bowlers failed to impress for their national side in the three-match Test series.
He said:
“When your two bowlers, Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf get injured, they don’t know whether there is any other bowler in Pakistan.”
Stumps on Day 3 🏏
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With two days left in the Karachi Test, Ben Stokes and Co. need 55 runs to complete a 3-0 whitewash in Pakistan with eight wickets in hand. It’s worth mentioning that England have only lost a single Test against the Proteas since Stokes and Brendon McCullum took on the captaincy and coaching roles earlier this year.
Meanwhile, Pakistan are scheduled to host a couple of Test matches against New Zealand at home, which starts in Karachi on December 26.