Salman Butt, former Pakistan cricket captain, has stirred controversy with his current national team's performance in the ongoing T20 World Cup. Following back-to-back defeats against India and the USA, Pakistan is on the brink of elimination from the group stage.
In a viral video circulating on social media, Butt aimed at captain Babar Azam and bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi. He criticised the "King" moniker associated with Azam and questioned the validity of comparisons with Indian cricket greats. Butt raised doubts about the ability of Azam and Afridi to single-handedly win matches for Pakistan.
His comments have sparked widespread debate and scrutiny of the team's leadership and performance. Pakistan's hopes of progressing in the tournament now hang in the balance, as they face an uphill battle to secure a spot in the knockout stages.
Butt's criticism stems from Pakistan's recent performance, particularly their collapse while chasing a run-a-ball 120 against India on a tricky New York pitch, resulting in a six-run loss. He expressed frustration over Pakistan's inability to close out matches despite the high individual rankings of their players.
"Yes, they've touched the top of the ICC rankings at one point, but it's time to touch reality now," Butt stated.
Further, Butt accused the Pakistan players of running public relations campaigns on social media to enhance their image, calling such actions misleading and counterproductive.
"The worst thing about social media nowadays is that you can run anything with a paid campaign," said Butt. "The intelligent and important people in Pakistan cricket must stay away from such activities," he added.
Butt emphasised the importance of performance over social media narratives, urging players to achieve significant victories before claiming such titles.
"First win a match, a big tournament, fight it out to win against a big team, finish a match single-handedly, then think what you want to proclaim," Butt asserted.
Pakistan's World Cup hopes hang by a thread after their surprising losses to the USA and India, despite a victory over Canada. The team's fate in the tournament now depends on other results, drawing widespread criticism from former players including Butt and Wasim Akram.
The controversy surrounding these comments highlights the intense scrutiny and high expectations faced by the Pakistan cricket team, particularly in major tournaments like the T20 World Cup.