Mark my words he will be the test captain this summer.
And despite all the criticism he has done ok if not brilliantly with the bat in back to back series (Australia and World T20). English conditions will test his technique for sure
I can see Pakistan losing all 6 tests this summer (with this batting line-up)!!
With the ball moving around the only people over the moon when Butt will be playing will be the slip fielders. He will be a total failure as a batsmen in UK. he just cannot play the moving ball.
I know I will be reminded that the game is bigger than the supporters, one thing though the supporters are not out there performing, Butt is. Think about it.
I wrote that sarcastically. I mean where are our test batters? We are not producing many test quality batsmen. Umar Akmal is the only genuine batter to arrive on the scene during this decade. The two Y's made their debuts in the late 90s. I know Salman Butt does n't have the best technique but then who has in the current team apart from the two Akmals! We will struggle in swing and seam conditions esp at Headingley (Leeds), Old Trafford (Manchester) and Trent Bridge (Nottingham).
Ehsan bhai, I am kind of disappointed to read your statements about Salman Butt. I dont think you ever had a word of appreciation for him for his performances in aus tour, nz tour, or t20. Shayed uss ne aap ka dil kuch zyada buri tarah tor diya
I can also predict that even a good English summer will not make you change your mind because then a good innings will most likely be called a fluke.
Being a pakistani opener is a thankless job for various reasons..
a) you are never equipped with a proper technique considering the pitches/conditions you are brought up on
b) you are constantly under pressure and never sure of your place despite scoring heavily and you know another trial opener is waiting for his turn in the musical chair contest.
c) you have detractors who are just waiting for you to fail and hence criticize you for the sake of it even if you have somehow performed consistently prior to that one failure.
I cannot recall ANY opener coming from Pakistan who was considered to have a good technique for all surfaces and conditions. Even great Saeed Anwar was constantly reminded of his suspect techniques against moving ball. The only batsman I can recall who was never labelled a flat track bully was Inzimam ul Haq and more recently Younis Khan. Even MoYo was usually a sitting duck against bouncier moving ball.
Ehsan bhai, I am kind of disappointed to read your statements about Salman Butt. I dont think you ever had a word of appreciation for him for his performances in aus tour, nz tour, or t20. Shayed uss ne aap ka dil kuch zyada buri tarah tor diya :)
I can also predict that even a good English summer will not make you change your mind because then a good innings will most likely be called a fluke.
Being a pakistani opener is a thankless job for various reasons..
a) you are never equipped with a proper technique considering the pitches/conditions you are brought up on
b) you are constantly under pressure and never sure of your place despite scoring heavily and you know another trial opener is waiting for his turn in the musical chair contest.
c) you have detractors who are just waiting for you to fail and hence criticize you for the sake of it even if you have somehow performed consistently prior to that one failure.
I cannot recall ANY opener coming from Pakistan who was considered to have a good technique for all surfaces and conditions. Even great Saeed Anwar was constantly reminded of his suspect techniques against moving ball. The only batsman I can recall who was never labelled a flat track bully was Inzimam ul Haq and more recently Younis Khan. Even MoYo was usually a sitting duck against bouncier moving ball.
Saby, one good series does not make a batsmen, the guy is super flop, his recent performances have not convinced me. I will see how he performs in England against the moving ball and how many slip practice catches he doesnt give before I change my mind. I still think he is one of the worst opener Pakistan has had. We have had some superb openers like Majid Khan, Sadiq, Aamir, Saeed, Mudassar and Mohsin khan to name a few and they played the moving ball very well. I will be surprised if he crosses 50 in UK this summer. This lack of technique to play the moving ball coupled with his inability to take catches makes him a big no no in my book.
Saby, one good series does not make a batsmen, the guy is super flop, his recent performances have not convinced me. I will see how he performs in England against the moving ball and how many slip practice catches he doesnt give before I change my mind. I still think he is one of the worst opener Pakistan has had. We have had some superb openers like Majid Khan, Sadiq, Aamir, Saeed, Mudassar and Mohsin khan to name a few and they played the moving ball very well. I will be surprised if he crosses 50 in UK this summer. This lack of technique to play the moving ball coupled with his inability to take catches makes him a big no no in my book.
He did not have just ONE good series. He has had three consistently good series against NZL, AUS and T20 cup. Plus his performances at home and his debut series against Australia in Australia.. these stats do NOT make him a one series wonder and prove that he can perform. Like it or not, he is the best opener we have and arguably the most successful one since Aamer Sohail and Saeed Anwar days.
Admittedly, he does not come anywhere near the greats you mentioned when it comes to class. But do not forget that moving ball makes everyone go nuts (lets not forget how brutally exposed Australian batsmen were in the last ashes despite being known as technically magnificent). Butt will struggle but he still has better chances and profile of succeeding than the likes of Hafeez, Farhat and Nazir). Having said that, he NEEDS to stop dropping sitters in fielding!
If we cannot appreciate a good performance and give credit when its due, we should not go overboard in criticizing a bad performance either..Looking forward to series in England though.. should be a cracker!
