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'We don't even have soil to put on wickets in Pakistan and you talk about...': Ex-PAK captain's brutal dig at PCB, Ramiz
The former Pakistan captain didn't mince his words as he reacted to a major development in Pakistan cricket.
Last week, the Pakistan Cricket Board had confirmed the appointments of South Africa's Imran Tahir and New Zealand's Colin Munro as mentors for their new league venture, the Pakistan Junior League (PJL). Former Pakistan skippers Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Malik have already been appointed mentors in the league, in addition to former West Indies captain Daren Sammy. Both, Tahir and Munro have played in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) as well; however, the national team's former skipper Salman Butt threw a brutal dig at PCB and its chairman Ramiz Raja for bringing mentors from abroad.
During a video on his official YouTube channel, Butt was asked if Pakistan have a lack of former cricketers who can play the role of mentors. In reply, the former batter took a brutal dig at PCB and Ramiz, saying that Pakistan have no mentors of their own just as the country has “no soil” for preparing the wickets. The comment was in reference to Pakistan using drop-in pitches for the Test series against Australia.
“There are no players who can mentor youngsters in Pakistan. There is no one. We don't even have soil to put on wickets in Pakistan, and you are talking about mentors. You have to bring drop-in pitches from different country, soil from different country, coaches and mentors from different countries. Bring a chairman from some other country too, no? There's nothing to talk about on this,” Butt said, as he shook his head nonchalantly.
Earlier, Imran Tahir expressed his delight at being appointed as a mentor in the PJL. The spinner was born in Pakistan but represented South Africa at the international level.
“Returning to Lahore for the Pakistan Junior League in a team mentor’s role is one of my most satisfying achievements as I still owe a lot to my country of birth. This is an exciting opportunity to work with emerging slow bowlers and help them develop and flourish so that they have a chance to emulate the great spinners this country has produced," Tahir had said.
"I am fully behind the philosophy of Pakistan Junior League as this creates a tough and challenging environment for the players with high expectations, and only those who will clear this scale will go leaps and bounds in their careers. With the amount of international cricket being played, this event will help Pakistan to amplify their pool of players, which, in turn, will increase playing opportunities and earn the prized national cap," he further added.
