Salman Butt Hits Back At Stuart Broad For Disrespecting Pakistan Test Team

Salman Butt slams Broad for his jibe at Pakistan cricket [Source: AFP]

Former England cricketer Stuart Broad has been heavily criticised for disrespecting the Pakistan team before the first Test at Headingley. The former English cricketer, who has become a broadcaster since his retirement, insulted the visiting Pakistan team ahead of the big series.

Before the Test series began, Broad termed Pakistan a “poor” side, and he predicted England would thrash them 3-0 in the Test series.

However, the comments didn’t go over well with the former Pakistan captain, Salman Butt, who slammed the English legend for mocking the Asian side.

Salman Butt slams Broad for disrespecting Pakistan side

Speaking on his YouTube channel, the former Pakistan batter hit back at Broad for his jibe at the Pakistan team by stating that whenever England goes to Australia, the team often loses 5-0 and hardly puts up a fight in overseas Tests.

"Stuart Broad was saying that Pakistan is a poor side. Okay, Pakistan isn’t playing good cricket at the moment, but what is this ‘poor team’ comment? You have a very good team, so what happens to you when you go to Australia? You lose 5–0 every time.

Butt also mentioned that when Pakistan had a quality bowling attack, England had bowlers who could barely touch 120 km/h.

"When Pakistan had a good bowling attack, what did England have? A bunch of bowlers who bowled at 120 km/h. No one from Pakistan said that England were a very poor team.

This is the kind of mindset they have. They should also talk about the kind of performances they have produced in away conditions."

Also Read: England Lose Two Key Players To Injury Amid Test Series vs Pakistan

At one stage, Pakistan had the likes of Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, and Shoaib Akhtar, three fearsome bowlers in their ranks, while England had medium pacers in their arsenal.

Were Broad's comments on Pakistan too harsh?

Broad was critical of the Pakistan bowling attack, stating that their main bowler is a 36-year-old Mohammad Abbas, and the team doesn’t have the resources to trouble the English batters.

The statement is not entirely wrong, as Abbas is a quality pacer, but he doesn’t have the pace to push the batters on the back foot. Moreover, with Shaheen Afridi out, Pakistan has an inexperienced attack of Khurram Shahzad and Mohammad Ali.

It was evident that Pakistan lacked the cutting edge in their bowling attack on Day 1 of the Headingley Test as the English batters scored 112-2 inside 25 overs without breaking a sweat.

Moreover, Pakistan is 8th in the WTC points table, and they have not done anything significant in the WTC since the concept started in 2019.

England sailing on the same boat as Pakistan in Tests

While Broad was not entirely wrong about Pakistan’s Test jeopardy, the same rule applies to the England Test team, who have failed to deliver the goods ever since the WTC started.

If Pakistan is eighth in the current WTC table, England is just a place above them in seventh, and they, too, have little chance of qualifying for the WTC final.

The team recently lost the Ashes series against Australia, 1-4, and they were also outplayed by New Zealand at home, 1-2. After the series, Ben Stokes retired, and the team had to sack their Test coach, Brendon McCullum.

Hence, if Pakistan is not at their best at the moment in whites, England is not far behind, as they, too, have similar problems in red-ball cricket.

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