Pakistan's new cricket captain Salman Butt has hailed Shahid Afridi's decision to quit as captain after Pakistan lost the opening Test at Lord's to Australia.
Pakistan's new cricket captain Salman Butt has hailed Shahid Afridi's decision to quit as captain after Pakistan lost the opening Test at Lord's to Australia.
Pakistan were being hosted by England because international teams have expressed grave concerns over playing in Pakistan.
"I knew nothing about it (Shahid Afridi's retirement from Tests) beforehand. But I have respect for his honest opinion and he made a very good decision," Butt told Cricinfo. "He (Afridi) took the captaincy after we did not have a good tour of Australia, and we'd had a very difficult time, so he has done a great job so far. He has been doing wonderfully well in the one-dayers and Twenty20.
"I really respect his decision about Test cricket because this is a totally different domain. It is a big decision to make and not too many people would've gone through and made a decision like he did.
The recent Lord's Test defeat to Australia did not stop Butt from waxing eloquent on the young guns in the team. It can be recalled that the team is without the services of experienced campaigners Mohammad Yousuf and Younus Khan as they were banned by the Pakistan Cricket Board following a dismal tour of Australia.
"Azhar Ali and Umar Amin have done really well because the standard of bowling at Lord's was world-class," Butt said. "Yes, this is a home series but we all know this is not home. Still the way they played, it was heartening. It is a step forward. If we play this unit for the next eight to ten months, we will have a different team. We still believe we can beat any side because it is this same side that won two Twenty20 matches against Australia, even though we lost two tight matches in Asia Cup. It is a good sign."
Pakistan will play the second Test at Headlingley Leeds from July 21. Their UK tour does not end there. They will face England in a three-Test series. Butt has plenty of work on hand, but he has men like Ijaz Ahmed and Waqar Younis in the support staff.
"These were people that were part of the team that brought Pakistan cricket to the top. They were there when Pakistan won the World Cup (in 1992).
"Aaqibbhai (Aaquib Javed) has been the coach of two Under-19 World Cup winning sides, Ijazbhai was coach this year of the Under-19 team which ended as runners-up (in New Zealand). Waqarbhai was a champion bowler and needs no further introduction. These are people who have experienced pressure at the highest level and performed well, so there is nobody else better than these three to describe a game to a youngster.
"Their presence is very valuable and I hope every squad member will take a piece from their book and apply however he thinks suitable for himself."
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