IND vs PAK: Salman Butt Responds To Mohammad Hafeez's ‘Babar Azam Should Show Big Heart And Leave His Comfort Zone To Play At No.3’ Remark

Former Pakistan National Cricket Team captain Salman Butt has responded to the comments made by former Pakistan all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez on current Pakistan captain Babar Azam, where he suggested that Babar should leave his opening position.

The Round 2 of the Asia Cup 2022 battle between Rohit Sharma-led India National Cricket Team and Babar Azam-led Pakistan National Cricket Team will be played on Sunday, September 4, at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

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Meanwhile, several cricket pundits have suggested a change in the opening duo of Pakistan after the back-to-back failures of Babar in the Asia Cup 2022.

Recently, Hafeez said that the no.3 batter Fakhar Zaman should open for the Men In Green with Mohammad Rizwan. He added that this “can only happen if Babar shows big heart as a captain and leaves his comfort zone to play at no.3 and emerge as a leader.”

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Butt said that Babar and Rizwan have won several games for the team and making changes after failures in “1-2 matches” is not ideal.

“If Rizwan and Babar had trust in the middle-order that they can provide the flourish, why would they be playing carefully in the first place? This is my opinion. They’re consistent players, we have chased 200 with these two. Everyone has their opinions,” Butt said on his official YouTube channel.

“You can’t play Fakhar too low in the order. He can open and he can come at one-down. That’s his game. You want to change a set pattern only after 1-2 games where they haven’t performed? This is not happening for the first time. When they eventually chase in one game, you make them world no.1. Why do you have to decide their fate after every game?”

In the past 3 years, how many times have our middle-order won a match? – Salman Butt

In the same YouTube video, the anchor pinpointed that those who have played for Pakistan are suggesting the change in top order – possibly referring to Hafeez’s statement. Former Pakistan captain responded:

“Ye aur bhi afsos ki baat hai (then, it is even more disappointing). In our times, the middle-order used to remain the same but the openers kept on changing. In my 78 ODIs for Pakistan, I might have played with 15 openers.”

“It is the most difficult position and you want to keep making changes there. But no one wants to talk about middle-order. In the past 3 years, how many times have our middle-order won a match?

“It’s just not sensible to change it. You have big grounds in the World Cup. Power-hitting alone won’t work. Those who are giving such suggestions have played in Australia, they know the challenges there. So, you need to keep that in mind,” he further added.

Also Read: Watch – IND vs PAK: “We Can Only Sit Here And Discuss, But…”: Kapil Dev’s Blunt Reply To Pakistan Anchor Over India’s Big Playing XI Call

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