Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt criticized Shan Masood-led side following their humiliating 2-0 Test series defeat to Bangladesh. He also lashed out at experts who had urged Pakistan’s batters to enhance their strike rates in the longest format of the game.
Pakistan had already been under severe criticism following their loss in the first Test against Bangladesh, and the series loss only intensified the scrutiny. It is worth noting that the defeat marked their first-ever series loss in this format against the Bengal Tigers.
“The strike rate mafia and intent mafia are basically illiterates of cricket. They have no idea about the format they are talking about,” said Butt in a video on his YouTube channel.
“You lose within four days and come back, what are you going to do by playing fast? You played just 46 overs. What hurry do you have? Why don’t you understand that your job is to bat long? Do the greats of the game play like highlights? Do the likes of Joe Root, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma score runs in this fashion?” he questioned.
In the first Test against Bangladesh, Pakistan struggled significantly, facing a more aggressive style of play from the opponents. Batting first Pakistan declared at 448 but conceded 565 runs in the second innings of the match. In the third innings, Pakistan batters struggled from the beginning and were bundled out for 146 runs. Later, Bangladesh successfully chased down the 30-run target and won the game by 10 wickets. Pakistan struggled to adapt to the conditions and lost the second Test by six wickets.
Bangladesh will next travel to India for a two-match Test series, starting on September 19. Meanwhile, Pakistan will host England for a three-match Test series, with the first match scheduled to begin on October 7 at the Multan Cricket Stadium.
The series win significantly impacted the ICC World Test Championship standings, with Bangladesh climbing to fourth place. They surpassed England and achieved a point percentage of 45.83. Pakistan, on the other hand, with only two wins from seven matches, dropped to eighth position, with a point percentage of 19.05. Their current ranking represents their lowest in the Test format since 1965, excluding periods when they were unranked due to an inadequate number of matches.
