Salman blames ‘poor’ selection for innings defeat in Brisbane

KARACHI: Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt on Sunday took a swipe at the country’s selection policy following Pakistan’s humiliating defeat at the hands of Australia in the first Test of the two-match series in Brisbane.

“As Test Championship is in progress, I think experience should be utilised in such conditions,” Salman told reporters here ahead of Central Punjab’s ninth round outing of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. “Test cricket is a game of specialists and ifs and buts don’t work,” he said.

He said that pitches in Australia are the best in the world for batting. “Australian pitches are the best for batting in the world. Only you have to cope with the bounce. You must learn that the place to which you are going which shots you can play and which shots should be avoided. The more you are aware of that and the more you have practised, the better will be the results,” Salman said.

About leggie Yasir Shah’s performance in the first Test which Pakistan lost by an innings and five runs, Salman said Yasir lacked in some areas. “Yasir bowls with a low trajectory to produce results at international level,” he pointed out. “In Dubai where low-bounce pitches are there such bowling suits the conditions but where the pitches are firm and hard you need to slow down your pace and I think he lacked in that a bit,” Salman said.

He blamed Pakistan’s pitches which are obstructing production of quality spinners. “Pakistan lacks quality spinners because of the pitches we have had here over the years. You have been using green pitches and balls which suit pacers and where spinners don’t get the chance to develop,” he pointed out.

“And the spinners who have come to the mainstream have been brought through T20 cricket. If they don’t have first-class experience and when there is no stress on four-day cricket then you cannot get good Test spinners. In T20 format four fielders are back, you have to bowl four overs which does not test your temperament. In Tests you have to bowl with attacking positions and in the gaps and line should be precise,” he said.

The 35-year-old Salman played 33 Tests in which he scored 1889 runs at an average of 30.46. He played his last Test at Lord’s in 2010. In the ongoing Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, Salman is fifth on the batting chart, having scored 647 runs in ten innings at a decent average of 80.87 which includes two centuries and two fifties.

He plays for Central Punjab which lead the points table and are hot contenders for the final spot.