Salman Butt: “You were the team director. It was your job to pick the right people”
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Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt has lashed out at ex-team director Mohammad Hafeez, saying it was “your job to pick the right people”.
His comments come after Hafeez appeared on the Club Prairie Fire podcast and spoke about how there were no fitness tests for the team, along with his inability to implement anything.
However, Salman refused to show any sympathy, stating that Hafeez should have asked for “more power and backing”. He also questioned whether the 43-year-old was competent enough to do his job.
“Maybe, he is saying as it is. But whose job was it to ensure that? You are complaining about your team’s matters on international platforms. You were the team director. It was your job to pick the right people,” he was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
“You picked those people who, on their own, may never be there. You didn’t take fitness tests. Who stopped you? Or should I call it incompetence or lack of control? They were your juniors. You couldn’t take the tests?
“You’re ranting to Adam (Gilchrist), ‘I wanted to do this and do that, but they didn’t listen to me. I was the team director’. For god’s sake, what were you trying to do? No one leaves their job until they’re sacked. Now, you go to an international platform and start complaining there. Why didn’t you say that when you were here?
“Why didn’t you ask for more power and backing? I don’t know what to agree with or what not to. When someone else played Amir, he was a criminal. But it’s fine when you call him yourself.”
The Pakistan team recently played in the 2024 T20 World Cup and lost to the United States of America and India before bouncing back to defeat Canada and Ireland.
Even though they ended the group stage on a high, they were unable to make it through to the Super Eights.
Pakistan Squad for 2024 T20 World Cup: Babar Azam (capt), Saim Ayub, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Azam Khan (wk), Usman Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Amir, Abbas Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed