"It takes everything away from a captain" - Salman Butt slams pitches Pakistan prepare while hosting teams in Tests
Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt wasn't pleased with the way the curators prepared pitches for Pakistan's home Tests, especially against Australia earlier this year. The visitors gave the Men in Green a run for their money in the second Test and won the third to take the series 1-0.
Salman Butt stressed how the cracks on the pitch didn't open up even late in the Test to give the home spinners something to work with. Although he hailed Babar Azam's captaincy in T20Is, Butt reckons he is still untested in the longer formats because the pitches at home don't allow him to execute his decisions.
Speaking in a video on his YouTube channel, here's what Salman Butt had to say about pitches in Pakistan:
"The captain's skill and tactical ability are more visible in Test cricket and ODIs, which we play very less. Test cricket gives the best chance to see a captain's ability, but the kind of pitches we make at home, it takes everything away from a captain in terms of strategy."
In this regard, he added:
"You can look at the pitch and say that spinners will play. A result is difficult to achieve even till the fifth day. One has to wait till the end to see if the pitch breaks. This doesn't test a captain's skill."
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Salman Butt on why Pakistan don't win enough Tests
Salman Butt believes to compete in Test cricket, especially in overseas conditions, one needs to have a top-quality bowling attack. Although Pakistan have a great pace attack, Butt feels they haven't played enough first-class cricket to gain the necessary long-format experience.
The former skipper of the Men in Green also pointed out that they lack a spinner who can win games for them single-handedly on his day. He stated:
"You can't put the onus on the captain. Babar has a good attack but the bowlers are inexperienced and they haven't played a lot of first-class cricket. Shaheen [Afridi] is a world-class talent but he also needs to gain more experience. The same is the case with spinners. We don't have a spinner who can run through a batting order."
Pakistan will now host West Indies for a three-match ODI series beginning from Thursday, June 9