PAK vs IRE: Not Babar Azam! Salman Butt tears apart this veteran batter after embarrassing loss to Ireland

Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt has expressed his concerns over the Men in Green’s batting order, keeping in mind the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2024 after they suffered an embarrassing defeat against Ireland in the first T20I in Dublin on May 10.

Ireland handed Pakistan their first-ever T20I defeat by winning the opening game of the ongoing three-match T20I series by five wickets in Dublin. This game exposed the Pakistan National Cricket Team’s batting woes, as more than half of their batting line-up struggled badly against the Irish bowling attack.

After Pakistan’s shocking loss to Ireland, Butt highlighted the lack of clarity in the top three positions, saying there is no consistency in the Men in Green’s opening combination, despite the T20 World Cup 2024 being just three weeks away to start in the USA and Caribbean.

Pakistan's top 3 are still not sure: Salman Butt

He said that Pakistan’s top three are still unsettled, as he questioned the decision to opt for Mohammad Rizwan as the opener instead of the skipper Babar Azam, which shows the lack of clarity within the batting lineup. Butt also pointed out that Saim's inconsistent form is a cause for concern, but the main issue is to confirm his opening partner.

Salman Butt said on his YouTube Channel: “When you look at the opening, a question arises that Babar had said while leaving that the time for experiments is over. But today, Rizwan came as an opener and Babar did not. This is another new thing, which means that the top 3 are still not sure. Saim (Ayub) seems to be constant, while the other two are going up and down. Whereas the bigger question was on Saim's form. One thing is not certain, who will be the opener in the top three besides Saim.”

Salman Butt slams Fakhar Zaman for his slow strike rate

Butt also slammed Fakhar Zaman for his slow strike rate, saying he often consumes a significant number of deliveries and doesn’t make any substantial impact on the scoreboard. He further pointed out that Zaman attempts to accelerate later in his innings, but his early slow start puts the team in a difficult situation and puts pressure on the other batters.

In the first T20I match against Ireland, Zaman took 18 balls to score only 20 runs with the help of two fours and one maximum. Butt mentioned that considering Zaman's abilities, the middle-order batter should have scored around 40–50 runs in Dublin.

Butt further noted, “The second thing is Fakhar Zaman's role in this team. It has been seen many times that first, he uses up a lot of balls and then tries to cover up. But on the day, he doesn't cover up, he leaves a lot for others to cover up. Today also, he played 18 balls and made 20 runs.

Considering his calibre, if he played 18 balls, he should have made 40-50 runs or at least 35 runs. Coming into the middle overs, Fakhar Zaman's strike rate should not be less than 180 in any way.”