Salman Butt named captain for rest of England tour

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Salman Butt named captain for rest of England tour

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As was widely expected Salman Butt has been appointed Pakistan’s Test captain for the rest of the summer in England, including the second Test against Australia in Headingley. Butt becomes the fifth man to lead the Test side since January 2009 and the 28th man to lead Pakistan, taking over from Shahid Afridi who announced a sudden retirement from Test cricket on Friday. Wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal will be his deputy.
The decision came early on Saturday after a meeting between the PCB chairman Ijaz Butt, the team management and a group of senior players including Shoaib Malik, Akmal, Umar Gul and Butt. “We have appointed Salman as the captain for the rest of the Tests and we are confident that he will be able to do a good job with it,” Ijaz Butt told Cricinfo. “Everybody who was involved in the decision gave their approval.”
At the time of Afridi’s appointment, in May this year, Butt’s name had come up in discussions though, as the administration was keen to unify the leadership of all formats under one man, they plumped for Afridi. Butt was appointed his deputy and though it seemed that he would take over yesterday, the PCB chairman had said that it wasn’t an “automatic” decision.
However, steadily over the last six months, Butt has become one of Pakistan’s most reliable batsmen across all formats; he’s averaging over 40 in his last seven Tests with one hundred and four fifties and reinvented his entire game to shine at the World T20 in the Caribbean, a format in which he had previously struggled. In the Lord’s Test, he was comfortably Pakistan’s best batsman, top-scoring in each innings with 63 and 92.
There had been talk in the aftermath of the Lord’s defeat that one of Mohammad Yousuf or Younis Khan - or both - might be called up to bolster an inexperienced middle order but for now the situation remains unchanged and unresolved. Yousuf is officially retired from international cricket and Younis and the PCB chairman are at odds despite the former’s indefinite ban having been lifted.
“We did discuss both Yousuf and Younis in the meeting but we decided to defer the matter,” Butt said, acknowledging also that the option to call them up at some point during the summer remains open. “I think we should appreciate that both the youngsters Azhar Ali and Umar Amin did very well given it was their debuts and my own feeling is that they should be persisted with,” he added.
One person who will not be playing in the second Test is Afridi. Though he cited his temperamental unsuitability to the format, Afridi was also suffering from a side strain he picked up during the Asia Cup. “I worked out in the gym in the morning and I don’t feel comfortable at all still. I will not be playing next week,” Afridi told Cricinfo.

http://www.cricinfo.com/pakistan-v-australia-2010/content/story/467691.html

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Re: Salman Butt named captain for rest of England tour

Salman being the only batsmen in form, lets hope this added responsibility does not affect his batting adversely.

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Salman Butt made Test Captain

A very wise decision in the circumstances. Kamran Akmal will be his deputy

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Re: Salman Butt named captain for rest of England tour

‘The future is safe’ - Salman Butt

How do you summarise the events in the last 24 hours?
I knew nothing about it [Shahid Afridi’s retirement from Tests] beforehand. But I have respect for his honest opinion and he made a very good decision. He took the captaincy after we did not have a good tour of Australia, and we’d had a very difficult time, so he has done a great job so far. He has been doing wonderfully well in the one-dayers and Twenty20. I really respect his decision about Test cricket because this is a totally different domain. It is a big decision to make and not too many people would’ve gone through and made a decision like he did.

Did you predict anything like this might happen when the tour began?
Being the vice-captain meant if anything goes wrong you are the next man. So I was partially ready for something like this, but I didn’t expect him to retire like this. So mentally I was partially prepared.

What will be the biggest challenge ahead for you?
We have a very good young unit. The two new guys [Azhar Ali and Umar Amin] have done really well because the standard of bowling at Lord’s was world class. Yes, this is a home series but we all know this is not home. Still the way they played it was heartening. It is a step forward. If we play this unit for the next eight to ten months, we will have a different team. We still believe we can beat any side because it is this same side that won two Twenty20 matches against Australia, even though we lost two tight matches in Asia Cup. It is a good sign.
The average age of the side is under 25 so to have this potential is important. If we can see the youngsters play for the next 10-12 years, we can build a very good unit. But the important thing is that we have to be patient because experience does not have any short cuts. We have to give ourselves and the youngsters time and at the same time work hard. I am very sure that these guys are committed and they want to play for each other and the country.

No doubt it is a rebuilding phase but being the captain now, in addition to being the senior batsman, does that increase your burden?
You can add the weight by using a different word but as a player my responsibility is the same: to go out there and perform to the best of my ability. It does not matter who is the captain because I am playing for Pakistan primarily and secondly for myself. If I don’t do well I won’t be in the team. It applies to everybody. What I see in my team is that they have the ability to fight. The other important thing is the new guys don’t think about the big names. We tell each other everyday that we can beat anyone. The belief is steadily starting to develop and one day we will be once again a force to reckon with.

Your batting at Lord’s looked settled and confident. Did you work on it consciously before the tour?
There is nothing big to do. The best thing to do is to get your basics right and do the simple things well. I was just watching ball. That was one the one pieces of advice I got from a man, whose name I don’t want to reveal at the moment. He was one of the best batsman I saw opening the innings. He just told me “watch the ball from the time it starts form the bowler’s hand till it reaches you and let your body react to it.” It has worked. The rest of my coaches here - Ijaz bhai, Waqar bhai and Aaqib bhai - they have been helping me and the youngsters. Even I don’t have much experience. I have only played 28 Tests. You can call me a senior batsman but compared to other big players I am just two or three years older. I am not promising big things but there is definitely hope and the future is safe.

Can you talk about the coaching think tank - what exactly do they bring to the table?
The best thing they bring is the mind of a champion. These were people that were part of the team that brought Pakistan cricket to the top. They were there when Pakistan won the World Cup. Aaqib bhai has been the coach of two Under-19 World Cup winning sides, Ijaz bhai was coach this year of the Under-19 team which ended as runners up [in New Zealand]. Waqar bhai was a champion bowler and needs no further introduction. These are people who have experienced pressure at the highest level and performed well, so there is nobody else better than these three to describe a game to a youngster. Their presence is very valuable and I hope every squad member will take a piece from their book and apply however he thinks suitable for himself.

The PCB haven’t ruled out the return of the two Ys - Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan. How would you look at such a development?
At the moment nothing has been discussed with me about them. Nobody can deny they are two great players but at the moment they haven’t been discussed. We have to be content with what we have at hand. I’m very happy with the new boys who have come in. And even former players share the same opinion. We need to give them a long run. Nobody is a born Mohammad Yousuf or Wasim Akram or Inzamam-ul-Haq - even these players were not known when they came into cricket. Their performances made them who they are. So we need to given the youngsters the time. Hopefully, and I’m sure, they will make a name for themselves.

http://www.cricinfo.com/pakistan-v-australia-2010/content/current/story/467704.html

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Excellent interview. And I fully agree with him, Pakistan should give the youngsters a chance to develop.

With Yousef and Younis in the team we have still been losing quite regularly against top teams....so the youngsters deserve a chance to cement their place and gain experience. More importantly, the team looks united and will develop into a fighting unit.

People like Younis,Yousef and Malik are excess baggage and its time for Pakistan to move on. You recall a 36 year old like Yousef..how long will he last? Same goes for Younis, you bring him back and after 2 series he will become mental yet again and pack up and go home leaving the team in the lurch yet again...no point.

Good luck to the youngsters.

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I don't agree with the decision but there was no one else who would be suitable for this job. I hope it doesn't effect his batting. Best of luck to Salman.

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Re: Salman Butt named captain for rest of England tour

Calling back Yousuf & Younus is out of discipline…besides that…they won’t contribute anything Pakistan to succeed…just look back at the last tour of Pakistan to Australia…

Pakistan just got to rebuild/rediscover from what they have on-hands…and continue the journey of winnings & losings… :jhanda:

PS: Its extremely important to lose some matches to make place for the winning of the most important matches…like the deciders… the knockouts…and the title matches…

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Re: Salman Butt named captain for rest of England tour

ok I have a question now....who will play in the second test in place of afridi? I really hope its yasir hameed.

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Re: Salman Butt named captain for rest of England tour

Shoaib Malik most likely

Yasir Hameed SHOULD come in for useless Farhat

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Re: Salman Butt named captain for rest of England tour

All the best for the new Skipper :k:

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Re: Salman Butt named captain for rest of England tour

i dont think shoaib malik is suitable for test even he is not suitable for any type of cricket.

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I hope so too though i doubt the sifarshi farhat wont play.

Good luck Salman. I hope the pressure of captaincy won’t put him under extra pressure while opening.

:jhanda:

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Re: Salman Butt named captain for rest of England tour

Good luck to Salman and Pakistan cricket :k: :jhanda:

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Re: Salman Butt named captain for rest of England tour

Salman Butt is atleast performing. Regardless of what some people might think of Butt, he has done well in the last 3 or 4 series, hence can lead by example. For the team's sake let's just hope that Butt will not be undermined by his teammates' constant politics and leg-pulling and they will play as a unit under him (quoting Fayz)

Agree 100%

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I would say, it should be yasir hameed and not shoaib malik.

We win one out of 15 matches, with this combination of 'experienced' and new players. How about a total makeover. Make a team of fresh blood and dont even win that one match for a period. We'll have some hope after some time, atleast.

For now, Good luck Salman.

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Re: Salman Butt named captain for rest of England tour

^ how is yasir hameed fresh blood? :hmmm:

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I am choosing out of the options we have.

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Asif most of the unit is new and would be willing to listen. It is just a notorious few whom the coaches and the captain need to keep an eye on.

Kamran Akmal's vice captaincy is a wise decision. It will help him keep focused on the job rather than politics and also push him to watch his brother's performance. Added responsibility does wonders sometimes.

It would be interesting to see how Malik responds. Being an ex-captain and involved in various controversies, I'm not sure how he has taken Butt's appointment.

Butt looks like a cautious individual and chooses his words right but he will have to go through a learning curve and show aggression where needed. I'm sure the coaching staff would help him on and off the field.

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he just had 2 liters of fresh blood before coming to England…so he is definitely a fresh blood…

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Re: Salman Butt named captain for rest of England tour

On ARY they have a poll running:

Salman Butt''s captaincy will improve team morale?

Yes 31.67%
No 64.41%
Dont know 3.91%