Salman Butt: “I was not like Fakhar and Fakhar is no Saeed Anwar. Saeed bhai is greatest of us all because he had so many capabilities inside him”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt made it clear that big-hitting batsman Fakhar Zaman is not like legendary opener Saeed Anwar as he is not as good.
Salman thinks Anwar was in a different league as “he has so many capabilities inside him”.
Anwar represented Pakistan in 55 Tests and scored 4,052 runs, which included 11 hundreds and 25 fifties, at an average of 45.52.
He also featured in 247 ODIs and accumulated 8,824 runs, which included 20 centuries and 43 half-centuries, at an average of 39.21.
While Zaman has put up a number of memorable performances over his career, Salman reiterated that the 34-year-old is not at the level Anwar was.
“I was not like Fakhar and Fakhar is no Saeed Anwar. Saeed bhai is greatest of us all because he had so many capabilities inside him,” he told ProPakistani as quoted by PakPassion.
Zaman hasn’t been in action for the national team lately, with many speculating it was due to his vocal criticism of the decision to drop Babar Azam during Pakistan’s three-Test series against England in October 2024.
However, limited overs head coach Aaqib Javed attributed it to his fitness and stressed that the Mardan native can return once it improves.
The men in green recently toured Australia and came away with mixed results as they won the ODI series 2-1 before being thrashed 3-0 in the T20Is.
They then travelled to Zimbabwe and triumphed 2-1 in both the ODI and T20I series.
Pakistan are now in South Africa and lost the T20I series 2-0 before bouncing back to whitewash the Proteas 3-0 in the ODIs.
Both teams are now involved in a two-Test series, which began on December 26 in Centurion.
Pakistan Squad for South Africa T20I Series: Mohammad Rizwan (captain and wicketkeeper), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Jahandad Khan, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Omair Bin Yousuf, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Tayyab Tahir and Usman Khan (wicketkeeper)
Pakistan Squad for South Africa ODI Series: Mohammad Rizwan (captain and wicketkeeper), Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Tayyab Tahir and Usman Khan (wicketkeeper)
Pakistan Squad for South Africa Test Series: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Haseebullah Khan (wicketkeeper), Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub and Salman Ali Agha