Former Pakistani batsman Salman Butt expressed his displeasure over the decision to rest Pakistan’s premier fast bowler, Shaheen Afridi, from the ongoing third and final Test of the series against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Butt suggested that Shaheen Afridi oritized Test cricket.
Pakistan have had a topsy-turvy Test series in Australia where they have shown promise and at the same time, their batters haven’t been able to make the most of the start which hurt the team a lot. It won’t be wrong to say that Pakistan missed a golden opportunity to win the 2nd Test match at the iconic MCG.
Shaheen Afridi’s exclusion is debatable- Salman Butt
“Shaheen Afridi’s exclusion is debatable because it points out what your priorities are. Pakistan play five T20Is against New Zealand. Yes, he is the captain for the series, but that does not mean that he plays every game. You can have a stand-in captain and play with a different set of bowlers, ” said Salman Butt.
“He should have played here, given that it is a World Test Championship match,” Butt continued. “He might have thought that since it is tough to win in Australia, he should rather play in the T20I series and try to win there. The Pakistani players only look for face-saving wins,” he stated.
Butt further expressed that if Shaheen needed rest why not he is given rest from the T20I series against NZ instead.
“Yes, Shaheen Afridi deserves rest, but has he ever opted for rest in a T20I or an ODI game? If he has to rest, why not rest from the upcoming T20Is? He could have taken a break from the first two or three matches.” he added.
It’s worth noting that the upcoming five-match series against New Zealand will mark the beginning of Shaheen Afridi’s tenure as Pakistan’s new T20I captain. Shaheen Afridi was given the leadership duties after Babar Azam gave up his captaincy following Pakistan’s disappointing ODI World Cup campaign.
Even if you win two or three T20 World Cups, it doesn’t matter- Salman Butt feels Pakistan should concentrate more on Test Cricket instead of T20Is
Salman Butt also emphasized the importance of Test cricket in the same YouTube video. He claimed that winning an important Test series holds more significance than triumphing in a T20 World Cup.
Butt further stated that Pakistan doesn’t need to play more white-ball cricket for increasing their funds, as they already have a successful tournament in the form of the Pakistan Super League(PSL).
“You cannot relate the three formats of the game to each other. Even if you win two or three T20 World Cups, it doesn’t matter. On the other hand, if you win something in Test cricket, it makes a big difference. A few will argue that Pakistan want to play more white-ball cricket because of the cash flow.” said Salman Butt.
“However, if you see the distribution of the ICC’s revenues, we are in the top five teams. So, that is also not a concern. We also have the PSL, which is a successful league,” he added.
Australia has already secured victory in the three-match Test series by winning the first two Tests. The Men in Green will now aim to restore some pride by securing a consolation win at the Sydney Cricket Ground(SCG).
Also Read: https://goworldwide.co.in/shahid-afridi-feels-shaheen-is-not-the-right-man-to-lead-in-t20is/