Following a euphoric victory at Lord’s, Pakistan’s performance plummeted rapidly in the subsequent Tests against England. Former captain Salman Butt has attributed the nosedive to relying too much on Yasir Shah’s form.
Butt who was Pakistan’s skipper during their previous visit to England, felt, “I think there has been an over-dependence on Yasir in this series and that to me has put us in a difficult position in this series.”
Currently in Kabul as part of Amo Sharks at an Afghanistan T20 league, Butt’s five-year ban ended last September. During the 2010 Lord’s Test, he was found guilty of spot fixing alongside Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir.
While Amir has made a comeback into the Pakistan side, both Butt and Asif have not been able to convince the selectors yet. However, the 24-year old left-arm seam bowler is struggling to make an impact in the ongoing series.
Also Read: How things have changed since Amir and Pakistan's last tour to England
Noting the difference in his line between the 2010 tour and the current one, Butt insisted, “If you look at Aamir's videos, you will see he was bowling more close to the stumps on the 2010 tour and got appreciable in-swing. But, on this tour he is too wide of the stumps and is not getting the ball to come in.”
He also expressed surprise in Pakistan’s sharp descent at Old Trafford and Edgbaston despite pitches being similar to those in UAE. Butt believed that the visitors were lucky to avoid grassy and seam-friendly surfaces like they had got in 2010.
The 31-year old claimed, “I am surprised that Pakistan lost two back to back matches after winning at Lord’s. Because, the pitches they have got in the three tests are not typical English pitches the sort we encountered in 2010 with lot of seam movement.”
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