Salman Butt identifies Pakistan’s top three players, leaving out Babar Azam

The old one Pakistan opener Salman Butt shared his views on fitness levels in the national cricket team as they prepare for their upcoming Test series against them Bangladesh. Although he accepted the merits of some players, he also expressed concern about the fairness and preparation of the team.

The top three players in the Pakistan team

Butt recommended Shan Masood, Fakhar Zaman again Mohammad Rizwan as the strongest players in the Pakistan team, leaving a huge impact Babar Azam. He stressed that these players have shown exceptional levels of fitness, always getting high scores in Yo-Yo tests and showing strong performance in the gym and on the field. According to Butt, they are among the top ten players in the world of cricket. He praised their dedication and physical condition, noting their important contribution to team performance and fitness levels.

“You can’t say that all players are bad. If you look at some of the players they are among the top 10 fitness players in world cricket. You can look at Shan Masood, Fakhar Zaman, and Mohammad Rizwan, looking at their fitness, they scored well in the Yo-Yo Tests. They are good in the gym and run well on the field,” Butt said in a video on his YouTube channel.

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Salman Butt is concerned about the fitness of the entire Team

Despite praising the individual players, Butt expressed his concern about the fitness of the Pakistan team. He pointed out that although some players are in a satisfactory condition, the growth of the team’s fitness and preparation is not at the desired level. He criticized the tendency to measure the fitness of the whole group without acknowledging the hard work of those who maintain a high level of fitness.

Butt insisted that the current narrative unfairly portrays the entire team as unfit, overshadowing the efforts of players in their best form. He emphasized that the issue lies in the development and management of fitness, rather than the dedication of individual players.

“Things are not progressing as they should be. If this happens, the entire team is accused of being wrong, people will not look at the right guys even though all the players are working hard. the younger ones are asked to run. This happened after people said that the players were not fit for the T20 World Cup 2024. No one doubted the physios or the coaches, instead, they started making the players at the regional level push hard to survive. Those who make mistakes are still there,” the 39-year-old added.

Management of the bowlers quickly

Butt also highlighted the specific issue of managing fast bowlers. He noted that many fast bowlers do not participate in longer formats or first-class cricket, which affects their fitness and performance in Test matches. He called for better management and support for the fast bowlers to improve and ensure their readiness for longer forms of the game.

“You need to manage fast bowlers, the problem is that they don’t play long, they don’t play FC cricket, we don’t play a lot of Test cricket. Things are not progressing as they should. If this happens, the whole team is accused of not being fit, people will not look at the boys who are fit even though all the players are working hard,” Butt concluded.

Upcoming series and latest performance challenges

The Pakistan cricket team will face Bangladesh in the Test-Test series, with matches scheduled to take place in Rawalpindi and Karachi from August 21. Butt’s comments come after a challenging season for Pakistan cricket, including disappointments. T20 World Cup 2024 campaign, where the team was eliminated before the Super Eights. Additionally, Pakistan withdrew ODI World Cup 2023 before the semi-final stage and lost the series 0-3 Australia.

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