PAK vs AUS: Pitches Aren't Bad, It Is The Brains That Are Rotten: Salman Butt Defends Rawalpindi Pitch
Updated - 10 Mar 2022, 02:27 PM
Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt came in support of the pitch at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium after the first Test between Pakistan and Australia ended in a draw. A total of 1187 runs were scored for just 14 wickets across three innings in the first Test.
Riding on Imam-ul-Haq (157) and Azhar Ali’s (185) scintillating hundreds, Pakistan declared the first innings at 476/4. In response to the hosts firing, Australia were on the runs with the fighting fifties from the likes of Usman Khawaja (97), David Warner (68), Marnus Labuschagne (90) and Steve Smith (78) the visitors posted 459, albeit, 17 runs short of the first innings.
Pakistan openers Imam and Abdullah Shafique scored centuries to ensure they didn’t lose a single wicket on the final day as they took a lead of 269 runs to force a draw. After the match, Australia’s Test captain Pat Cummins and his deputy Steve Smith criticised the pitch and many experts across the globe termed it as a ‘dead pitch.’
Rawalpindi is a result-oriented pitch: Salman Butt
Butt, who led Pakistan in five Test matches in his playing career, pointed out Pakistan’s 95-run victory against South Africa last year in February at the same venue. The former Pakistan player said that Rawalpindi pitches have the quality to generate results citing the example of domestic matches.
“Against South Africa, Hasan Ali performed brilliantly (five-wicket hauls in both innings) in Rawalpindi. Was that stadium somewhere else? So I don’t understand who is passing what information. Anyone who opens the stat will find out the truth,” Butt said on his YouTube channel.
“Pindi is a result-oriented pitch. In first-class matches, people complain that matches end here in 2.5 days,” he added.
Pitches aren’t bad, it’s the brains that are rotten: Salman Butt
Rawalpindi has hosted 12 Test matches so far and four of them, including the recent Test match, have turned out without any results. Butt said that nothing is wrong with the pitches but the mindset of the people is something that requires change.
“Please tell me what’s wrong with Pakistan pitches. Pitches aren’t bad, it’s the brains that are rotten. The people who are at the helm of cricketing affairs, it’s their weakness in underestimating themselves that we cannot play. Imam is in the team since 2019. It’s 2022 now. You don’t have confidence in him?” Butt mentioned.
“Apart from him, Abdullah Shafique is coming into the team after scoring runs against Bangladesh and the PSL. This game was treated as a practice game,” he added.
The second Test between Pakistan and Australia will be played at the National Stadium in Karachi, the match begins on March 12.
Tagged:
Pakistan national cricket team Salman Butt
