PSL 2022: He’s Concerned, So What If He Is A Bit Harsh-Salman Butt On Wasim Akram Unloading On Babar Azam

During the recent Pakistan Super League (PSL 2022) match, Karachi King’s mentor Wasim Akram was seen shouting at captain Babar Azam on the boundary, as the team was on its way to losing its 9^th straight match in the tournament. Salman Butt has defended Akram’s actions.

On Wednesday, the Kings lost their eighth consecutive league game – the worst run by a PSL side in the league. Multan Sultans defeated the side by seven wickets, chasing down the 175-run target with three deliveries to spare.

Thanks to the poor performance, tensions of the dugout came out in the open, as mentor Wasim Akram engaged in a heated discussion with captain Babar Azam near the boundary line. During the last over of the innings, Akram was visibly angry and annoyed and was gesturing towards Babar and had a heated conversation with Babar.

The Pakistani legend was criticized for his reaction and for being angry at Babar and Akram put out a tweet clarifying his actions.

He said: “Hello ! Surprised to see reactions on my talking to Babar at the boundary last night. What I was saying was ‘why our bowlers are not bowling yorkers or slower ones offside off’.nothing else . Babar is a wonderful boy and has tried his best. And what he wants for dinner.”

When He Showed Concern, He’s Facing Criticism As Well: Salman Butt Defends Wasim Akram

Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt has come in defense of Wasim Akram and said that there is nothing wrong with what he did and it was directions for the bowlers which have to go through the captain.

 Talking on his YouTube channel, Butt said, “I am very surprised. When Mickey Arthur used to get angry or throw files here and there, people used to say, ‘look, he’s so concerned for the team’. Wasim bhai has lost 8 games. And for the first time, he got up and then too, he pointed out towards the bowler.”

“It is most likely that he gave some instructions to the bowler and they didn’t bowl accordingly. So he got up in anger and talked about it. Obviously, he can only say this to the captain, he can’t shout towards the bowler from the dugout. So I don’t know what people expect.”

Calling Akram a global and Pakistani icon of the game, Butt felt that there is nothing wrong in him being harsh with Babar Azam.

“If he had just been sitting there in the dugout, people would say that he doesn’t care. When he showed concern, he’s facing criticism as well. After losing 8 games, he spoke for the first time and people are talking about respect. It’s Wasim Akram! He’s a global icon, not just Pakistan’s. If he says something to Babar and gets a little harsh, so what? He was talking about the bowler anyway, he even tweeted about it,” said Butt.

Karachi will now face Lahore on February 18, 2022.

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