"Virat has 70 tons, Michael Vaughan didn't score one in ODIs" - Salman Butt slams Englishman for 'stirring' Kohli-Williamson debate
Former Pakistani batsman Salman Butt took Michael Vaughan to task on Sunday over his contentious comparison between Virat Kohli and Kane Williamson.
Michael Vaughan recently declared Williamson is at par with Kohli in all three formats but doesn't get the same recognition because of his smaller Instagram following and comparatively unpretentious brand deals.
To this, Salman Butt retorted that Kohli's fanbase is such because of India's sizeable population. He added that Kohli has shown unparalleled domination in the modern era - his 70 tons being the testimony - and can't be compared with anyone else on those grounds.
"Kohli belongs to a county which has a huge population. Obviously, he would have a bigger fanbase. On top of that, his performance is better too. Virat has 70 international tons at the moment, no other batsman from this era has that many. And he has, for a long period, dominated the batting rankings because his performances have been outstanding. So I don’t understand what and where is the need to draw comparisons," Salman Butt said on his YouTube channel.
The former cricketer also took a swipe at Michael Vaughan, saying he himself didn't have an ODI century despite being an opener. He also claimed that the Englishman has a 'knack' of raking controversies.
"And who has compared the two? Michael Vaughan. He was a brilliant captain for England, but the beauty at which he used to bat, his output wasn't on par. He was a good Test batsman but Vaughan never scored a single century in ODIs. Now, as an opener, if you haven't scored a century, it's not worth discussion. It’s just that he has a knack of saying things that stir up a debate. Besides, people have a lot of time to stretch a topic," Salman Butt added.
The Indian skipper is currently the only batsman in the world to rank in the top-5 in all three formats. Williamson, on the other hand, is the top-rated Test batsman and is ranked 12th in ODIs. While Kohli has accrued 22,818 runs in 482 innings across formats, Williamson has scored 15,093 runs from 353 digs.
"Since the time both are playing, no one has been as consistent as Virat Kohli" - Salman Butt
Salman Butt acknowledged Williamson's prowess, both as captain and a batsman, but said Kohli has been more consistent with the bat. He concluded by rubbishing Michael Vaughan's comments as 'irrelevant'.
"Williamson is great. He's a top-class batsman and one of the best in the world. There is no doubt. Williamson may take the points in terms of captaincy, but he (Vaughan) hasn't discussed captaincy. In terms of players, there is a huge gap. Kohli's stats and performance and the way he has won India matches, especially chasing, it's outstanding. Since the time both are playing, no one has been as consistent as Kohli. What Vaughan has said is irrelevant," signed off Salman Butt.
Kohli and Williamson will come head to head in the much-anticipated World Test Championship final on June 18 in Southampton.