Asia Cup 2022: “Is this the last India-Pakistan match?” - Salman Butt surprised with overreaction to Shaheen Afridi being ruled out

Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt is surprised with the overreaction to fast bowler Shaheen Afridi being ruled out of Asia Cup 2022. Admitting that the left-arm seamer’s absence will be a big blow to the team, he added that people should stop behaving as if the Pakistan team will be totally handicapped without him.

On Saturday (August 20), the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) confirmed through an official release that Afridi would not be available for the Asia Cup due to a knee injury. Following the development, fans as well as some former cricketers from Pakistan expressed a lot of concern over his unavailability.

Sharing his thoughts on his official YouTube channel, Butt said that there is no need for such an exaggerated response. Questioning the extreme reactions, he commented:

“Is this the last India-Pakistan match? Is this the last Asia Cup? I know the kind of impact Shaheen makes. Yes, he is a key player. But should we demotivate the rest of the squad by worrying so much about it and reacting as if there is no solution? Backup players are readied for these days. Unless they play, how will they gain experience and learn?”

Apart from the Asia Cup, Afridi is also set to miss the home series against England. PCB, however, are hopeful that he will be fit in time for the T20 World Cup in Australia in October-November.

An official statement by PCB chief medical officer Dr. Najeebullah Soomro said that the left-arm seamer is quite upset over being ruled out of the Asia Cup.

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“Mohammad Amir is a retired player” - Salman Butt on whether left-arm seamer can replace Shaheen Afridi

During the discussion, Butt also dismissed suggestions that experienced left-arm pacer Mohammad Amir could be a possible replacement for Afridi.

The former opener pointed out that Amir is a retired cricketer and does not play proper competitive cricket. Responding to a user query, he commented:

“Mohammad Amir is a retired player. There is no place for emotional decisions in this professional field. He has not played any competitive cricket in terms of domestic or tournaments that have proper recognition.

"He plays in some leagues. He is a good bowler, in fact, an excellent bowler, no doubt about that. But he has not taken back his retirement yet. What is the point of discussing something that cannot happen?”

Interestingly, after Afridi was ruled out of the Asia Cup, Amir took to Twitter and posted a cheeky tweet, which read, “m trending on twitter but why.” The 30-year-old announced his retirement from international cricket in December 2020.