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Former Pakistan cricketer Salman Butt has praised the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for including 37-year-old finisher Dinesh Karthik in the T20I squad, while taking a sharp dig at the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
He feels that Karthik wouldn't have found a place [owing to his age] even in domestic cricket in Pakistan. The statement comes after Karthik's heroics in the 1st T20I against West Indies on Friday.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Salman Butt said:
“Luckily, Dinesh Karthik is born in India. At his age, he can’t even play domestic cricket in Pakistan.”
Butt further stated that the Indian cricket team are ‘damn’ serious about their bench strength to prepare for the future. He feels that the likes of Suryakumar Yadav, Shreyas Iyer and Arshdeep Singh have started to deliver on the biggest stage.
He added:
“Youngsters are playing very well for India. They are damn serious about their bench strength for years to come. They have constructed an amazing team. Shubman Gill was quite impressive [in ODIs]; Dinesh Karthik is playing as a finisher [in T20Is].
“The batsmen in between like Suryakumar Yadav [are] improving day by day, Shreyas Iyer is available. Arshdeep Singh is bowling well. Overall, there is plenty of talent.”
Pakistan heavily reliant on Shaheen Afridi: Salman Butt
The former Pakistan captain further added that there's a lack of proper pace bowlers in the Pakistan team to give the right company to Shaheen Afridi. The latter had missed the second Test against Sri Lanka due to knee injury. Pakistan lost the game by 246 runs.
He feels that there is no player who can bowl the right line and length, emphasizing that pace alone wouldn't do the job. He demanded that the Pakistan team management give chances to the new speedsters to bowl with the new ball.
He concluded:
“[on Pakistan’s reliance on only Shaheen Afridi] Until the new bowlers and batsmen come to the fore , there will be lack of pacers and openers. However, Pakistan is naturally blessed with young fast bowlers. But pace is something different, being skilful with the new ball, you need to bowl with the new ball.”
Pakistan's next assignment will be against The Netherlands. They will play three ODIs against the European side, starting on August 16.
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