Salman Butt tears apart Pakistan Cricket Board and Babar Azam for making Shaheen Afridi a scapegoat of country's failures

Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt reacted to the alleged misbehavior of the star speedster Shaheen Shah Afridi towards Pakistan Cricket Team captain Babar Azam and coaches during their recent international assignments.

According to Geo News, Shaheen Afridi misbehaved with Pakistan’s white-ball coach Gary Kirsten, and he was also rude to assistant coach Azhar Mahmood, apart from disrespecting his captain Babar.

Shaheen Afridi faces heat for disrespecting Pakistan support staff

These incidents reportedly happened during Pakistan’s tour of Ireland, England, and the ICC T20 World Cup 2024. The Pakistan team management has reportedly taken no disciplinary action against Shaheen, despite the accusations at the time.

But now the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is likely to take strict action against the star speedster, especially after a heated argument with Mohammad Yousuf on the England tour. The PCB is reportedly mulling over dropping Afridi for the upcoming Test series against Bangladesh.

A visual of what Gary kirsten said in his report. Absolutely unacceptable behaviour with Babar Azam by Shaheen Afridi.#BabarAzam???? pic.twitter.com/lpimxCL9Ni

— Salman Butt (@SalmanButtPak) July 10, 2024

Reacting to the whole drama, Salman Butt revealed that no such discussion took place during the PCB’s recent meeting with the former Pakistan players in Lahore regarding Afridi’s reported misbehavior with Babar Azam, Mahmood, and Yousuf during Pakistan’s recent tours.

Salman Butt slams Pakistan team management for complaining later about Shaheen Afridi's behavior

Butt criticized the Pakistan cricket team's management's response to Afridi's behavior towards the support staff. The former captain recalled the previous incidents, like the legendary pacer Shoaib Akhtar's eviction from the 2007 World Cup squad when Malik was the team manager.

He questioned the current team management's decision-making, suggesting they should have acted promptly rather than airing complaints now. Furthermore, Butt criticized the weak leadership, comparing it to a child seeking revenge after the incident. He emphasized the need for decisive action from the coach, manager, and captain at the time of incidents.

Salman Butt said on ABN Urdu News Channel: “No, there was no such discussion there. I have also heard these reports on TV. And I think that if the coach, manager, and captain are so weak they are complaining later. They should have decided at that time. Earlier, Malik was the manager of Pakistan. There was a fight between Shoaib Akhtar and Asif. They sent Shoaib back to the 2007 World Cup. It was not a big fight."

"This is strange management": Salman Butt

Butt further said, "As a result of this argument, there was a small incident. So, they sent him back. Imagine that there is not even half a bowler like Shoaib Akhtar in Pakistan's team. The management makes such a decision. This is strange management. They are coming and complaining. It is like a kid was slapped in the street, and he said, Wait, I will call my brother. Every person is there to complain. You make a decision. You are the manager, you are the coach, and you are the captain. You make a decision.”

Salman Butt: No one complained about the behaviour of Shaheen Afridi, I was there in the meeting with Mohsin Naqvi.

Babar Azam aur Saya Mafia ki paid campaign to warr gayi 😭😂#PakistanCricket
pic.twitter.com/aX4isbYZDD

— Cric mate (@cricmatee07) July 11, 2024

Notably, the revelation of Afridi's alleged misconduct towards the coaches surfaced after former Pakistan cricketer Wahab Riaz spoke out about his removal from the national selection committee. Riaz and Abdul Razzaq were removed from the selection committee by the PCB earlier this week.