Salman Butt: “I look at these players and I’m amazed—there’s [athletic] tape on their knees, tape on their legs. They look less like athletes and more like mummies from the movies, wrapped in so [much tape]”
Image courtesy of: Unsplash
Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt has criticised the national players for their overuse of athletic tape, saying they look like “mummies from the movies”.
He questioned the need to apply so much tape on different parts of their bodies and instead recommended that they focus on building muscle.
Salman added that the current crop of cricketers shouldn’t worry about putting on muscle weight as it will protect their bones and improve their “agility, speed, power, and explosive strength”.
“I look at these players and I’m amazed—there’s [athletic] tape on their knees, tape on their legs. They look less like athletes and more like mummies from the movies, wrapped in so [much tape],” he was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
“Instead of wrapping your bones with tape, wrap them with muscle. Don’t fear gaining muscle weight – muscle is heavier than fat, but it protects your bones, and it enhances your agility, speed, power, and explosive strength.”
The 40-year-old from Lahore also spoke about the importance of strength training, saying it is pivotal for cricketers who are just starting their careers and those in the twilight stages.
“If you want to enhance your career and compete at a higher level. Whether you’re 18 or 35, this is essential for every player,” he said.
The Pakistan team recently toured Australia for a limited overs series and began by winning the ODIs 2-1 before being thrashed 3-0 in the T20Is.
As for their trip to Zimbabwe, they came away with a 2-1 win in both the ODI and T20I series.
Pakistan were then in South Africa and kicked off their tour on a low as they were beaten 2-0 in the T20I series.
However, the men in green rebounded in the ODI series as they triumphed 3-0.
They weren’t able to maintain their momentum in the two-Test series as they were whitewashed 2-0.
Pakistan are now involved in a two-Test series against the West Indies and lead 1-0 after winning the 1st Test in Multan by 127 runs.
The 2nd Test will start on January 25 in Multan.
Pakistan Squad for West Indies Test Series: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Imam-ul-Haq, Kamran Ghulam, Kashif Ali, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Noman Ali, Rohail Nazir (wicketkeeper), Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha