Stop complaining to Adam Gilchrist: Mohammad Amir mentioned as Salman Butt exposes Mohammad Hafeez's double standards

Former Pakistan cricketer Salman Butt lashed out at the ex-director of cricket of the team Mohammad Hafeez for criticizing Babar Azam and management for not prioritizing fitness during the chat with Adam Gilchrist and Michael Vaughan. He slammed Hafeez by questioning him why he didn't do anything about it as he too was part of the team at that time.

Mohammad Hafeez, who was appointed as the Director of Pakistan Cricket after 2023, made some shocking revelations about the fitness issues in the Pakistan team on Friday (21st June). The former skipper of the team talked about how previous management led by Mickey Arthur and Grant Bradburn didn't handle the team well.

Speaking to Michael Vaughan and Adam Gilchrist on the Clube Prairie podcast, Mohammad Hafeez revealed that during his tenure as Director of the team, he got to know from the team's trainer that Mickey Arthur, Grant Bradburn, and Babar Azam asked players to not focus on fitness and let them be as they wanted to be for the ICC World Cup 2023.

Mohammad Hafeez revealed that he even asked the trainer to resign if he didn't have the authority to take control. But the trainer replied to him that he was doing whatever the team management was asking him to do. The former skipper stated this was one of the reasons why players looked fatigued during the Australia Tests.

"When I retired from this team, I ticked all the boxes of fitness. If I could do it at the age of 41, then why can’t the others? As I joined the team as Director, I noticed the fat percentage of the players had gone up, and the running ability went down. I asked the trainer what had happened. Why the players aren’t able to go through the tests?

“He revealed a very shocking fact that the last management, comprising Mickey Arthur, Grant Bradburn, and Babar Azam, asked him to put the fitness equation out and let the players play how wanted to play till the World Cup 2023. I was like, why didn't you resign straight away if you feel like someone is asking you not to do your job?

"Just say that this is not the way to deal with international cricketers, so he said, I can't do anything because at that time, whatever management said to me, I followed their directions. That was why we were struggling in the final innings of the Test series against Australia. We looked fatigued because we were missing that fitness level," Hafeez stated.

Salman Butt slams Mohammad Hafeez for his comments

Mohammad Hafeez making such comments didn't go well with Salman Butt. He lashed out at the former skipper of the team, saying that if things weren't correct, then it was his duty to streamline things because he was the Director of the team. He thrashed Hafeez for degrading the team when he had the opportunity to make things right. Speaking on Sports Trend, he explained:

"Okay, I don't know, I wasn't with him. Maybe he's right. But who was going to ensure this? This is the same thing, that you file a complaint at your house after coming out. You're the team director. Okay? You're the one who's going to hire people. You hired such a person as a coach, you put such a person on the tour, who might have never been there on his own. You did all that. You couldn't take the fitness test. What kind of helplessness is this? Call it helplessness, call it incompetence, or call it your lack of control, or a question mark on your leadership.

"They're your contemporaries, they're juniors to you. You couldn't take the test from them. And now you're saying, Adam (Gilchrist), look, I wanted this. So look, they didn't listen to me. And look, they don't listen to me. I was the team director. For God's sake. What are you trying to say? Will you consult yourself first if you want to talk or not? No one listened to me. As long as someone doesn't fire you, no one leaves a job for you. Okay? And then you make such complaints. You go to the fourth world and say, this is what was happening. So look, they didn't listen to me. So then you say there, they don't listen to me, I'm coming back."

Salman Butt concluded by touching on the topic of Mohammad Amir, saying that when Hafeez himself picked the pacer in the team it was okay but if someone did that he is a sinner. He explained:

"Or give me so much power, or give me so much backing. You've put your will everywhere. So I do not know what to agree with and what to not agree with. Now, when someone else picks Amir, it's a sin, but when he picks himself, it's permissible. If he becomes a coach, then it's permissible for him to come. If he doesn't come, then it's not permissible for him to come," he concluded.

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