Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt lashed out at the management for mishandling Shaheen Shah Afridi’s alleged altercation with batting coach Mohammad Yousuf ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.
Butt appeared at ARY News’ show Sports Room and was asked whether the authorities would take any action against the left-arm pacer for his alleged misconduct.
Salman Butt, in response, emphasized that the management should have taken action straightaway but instead, they kept on selecting Shaheen Afridi for every World Cup fixture.
“Look, the time for taking an action has been passed. Since I was not there with the team I don’t know [whether it is true]. These are reports and the people who gave the report, we expect them to make a decision there,” said Butt.
“If the management thinks that Shaheen was not implementing the plans and was not cooperating with them intentionally then they should have taken action.
“If he was not disciplined then they should have dropped him and opted to go with some other player.
“But, if you gave him full opportunity despite all these issues and are now complaining I think, anybody can do that. What’s the point of appointing [big names] with hefty salaries?” Salman Butt questioned.
“Management’s job is not to complain but to take action,” he concluded.
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According to recent reports, Shaheen engaged in a heated argument with batting coach Mohammad Yousuf during the team’s tour ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024.
Sources asserted that the incident occurred during Pakistan’s net practice at Headingley when Shaheen engaged in a verbal exchange with the former batter.
The batting coach pointed towards Shaheen Afridi’s continuous no-balls in the nets, they added.
However, the pacer got furious and told Mohammad Yousuf to let him practice and not intervene in his bowling.
According to sources, Shaheen later apologised to the batting coach while the team management also reprimanded him for his misconduct.
However, the incident was termed the heat of the moment and the chapter was closed after Shaheen Afridi apologised to Mohammad Yousuf.
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