PCB under fire as Salman Butt accuses Babar Azam & Co. of shunning Test cricket

Former Pakistan cricketer Salman Butt lashed out at the players of the National team for not prioritizing Test cricket just like T20Is. He said that the Pakistan Cricket Board is the only one in the world that will prefer two 20-over games over the longest format of the game.

Pakistan National Cricket Team are all set to host the Bangladesh National Cricket Team for the two-match Test series later this month. This will be the first time since January this year that the Shan Masood-led side will be playing the longest format of the game, having last played against Australia.

Pakistan National Cricket Team notably play more white-ball games than red-ball cricket, and it is one of the biggest reasons why they have struggled to get going in the longest format of the game. Big names such as Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Shaheen Afridi, and others, too, prefer playing shorter formats over Tests.

Pakistan are the tough competitors in T20Is and ODIs but has been struggling big time in the Tests. The players in the team also aren't keen to play in the domestic circuit, and the not-so-strong base has cost them on the international stage.

Salman Butt was asked by a Cricket Pakistan reporter about Pakistan's lack of quality spin options apart from Abrar Ahmed for the Test format. Replying to this, the former Pakistan player didn't go easy on the team management as well as the board.

Salman Butt highlighted that the team and the fans shouldn't be worried about the combination of the Test team because they don't focus on this at all. He pointed out that players aren't interested in playing FC cricket. He also stressed that the love to play the longest format is deteriorating among the Pakistan players. He explained:

"Do we prioritize Test cricket? Why are we suddenly so worried about our combination? We just don't want to play the format. Our boys don't play first-class cricket regularly. We are the only cricket board in the world that says, 'Instead of one of the Test matches, let's have two T20Is."

Babar is not a born leader - Salman Butt

Salman Butt also lashed out at Pakistan Cricket Board for handing the captaincy back to Babar Azam, saying that the right-hander is not a born leader. He stated that with the way the board handled his situation, they created corners amongst the team. After the ICC World Cup 2023, Babar Azam was removed as the captain of the team, but ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024, he was reappointed. But the move didn't work as Pakistan faced a group stage exit in the tournament.

Babar Azam after that has faced a lot of criticism from the fans as well as the experts. The decision related to him being the captain of the team will be taken by the head coaches in Gary Kirsten and Jason Gillispie. The batter will be next seen in action during the Test series against Pakistan. He would be keen to make a major impact and silence all these critics.