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Cricket Players'I want to play but the way system is run..': 37-year-old former PAK star makes big claim; 'Heart isn't there anymore'
The 37-year-old former Pakistan star made a big claim as he talked about the prospect of returning to cricket in the country.
Pakistan cricket has seen a significant change over the past few years. The side, especially in the limited-overs, has produced impressive performances of late and Pakistan's run to the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup last year was a testimony to it. However, it wasn't all rose and feathers for the side's cricket team a few years ago, when the side was going through a rough patch in international cricket.
In the 2016 T20 World Cup, Pakistan were knocked out in the group phase with only one win in four matches. Following a dismal outing in the tournament, then-captain Shahid Afridi and coach Waqar Younis stepped down from their respective roles. In 2019, former Pakistan captain Salman Butt had claimed that he was cleared to be named in the 2016 T20 WC squad, but Afridi had blocked his return.
Butt had served a five-year ban from international cricket on spot-fixing charges and made a return to domestic cricket in the country in January 2016. However, he couldn't make a return to the Pakistan team. In a video on his official YouTube channel, Butt spoke again on the prospect of returning to cricket.
“See, I want to play. My wish is to play again. But the way the system is run here, the way decisions are taken, believe me, my heart isn't there anymore. I kept scoring for 2-3 years, received the best player awards, scored the most runs. They were struggling in the opening department, but just because they did what they wanted to do at any cost..” Butt said.
The former Pakistan captain further added that there isn't a “positive” cricketing environment in the country.
“You cannot be progressive in an environment like this. You better choose a way where you excel in life. Why would I stuck in domestic cricket and wait to get old? I wasn't 20-22 years old at that time, I couldn't wait for 4-5 years. I've seen it all, done it all. I have played around 140 international games for Pakistan in all formats. If they didn't want to play me even after I was among the top run-scorers, what can I say,” said the 37-year-old.
