Former Pakistan player slams Babar Azam, PCB for messy decision-making
Former Pakistan cricketer Salman Butt took a dig at the board and claimed that the Pakistan Cricket Board does not give Test cricket priority ahead of the red-ball series with Bangladesh. The Green Army's three-match Test series against Bangladesh will be capped off by England in the coming days, resulting in an extremely packed schedule for the Men in Green.
The cricketer turned analyst stated that Pakistan is the only cricket board in the world that focusses more on T20Is and that their team has no interest in competing in the Test format. He further stated that the side will prefer playing two T20Is over one Test match, resulting in poor rankings in Test cricket as well as the WTC 2023–2025 cycle. Notably, Pakistan has failed to make it to the finals of the WTC in the last two events, placing at the bottom of the points table.
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"Do we prioritize Test cricket? Why are we suddenly so worried about our combination? We just don't want to play the format. Our boys don't play first class cricket regularly. We are the only cricket board in the world that says, 'Instead of one of the Test matches, let's have two T20Is'" said Butt as quoted by sportskeeda.
But the issue is, what have you contributed to make it easier for him?: Salman Butt
The Lahore-born cricketer took an indirect dig at Imad Wasim and Mohammad Amir for their critical remarks on Pakistan white-ball captain Babar Azam on the national television show. In addition, the 39-year-old cricketer attacked Pakistan Cricket Board for changing the captain following the ODI World Cup 2023 in host country India and returning it after the two series.
Meanwhile, Mohammed Amir and Imad Wasim had already left the cricket team for good, but they were recalled back to the team for the 2024 T20 World Cup. Due to their involvement in the squad, Babar Azam and his men failed to keep a balance, which resulted in the team's ouster from the tournament during the group stage, which received harsh criticism from cricket pundits all over the world. Salman Butt feels that PCB has been creating the chaos resulting in their horrendous show at the showpiece event.
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"Let’s first talk about what Babar Azam has at hand. He is not a born leader. But the issue is, what have you contributed to make it easier for him? You brought in two guys who humiliated him on TV. Then you changed the captain and brought him back after two series. You are creating corners within the team yourself," he added further.
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