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Salman Butt criticized Mohammad Hafeez for his recent remarks about the Pakistan team’s fitness issues. Hafeez, who assumed the role of Director of Pakistan Cricket post-2023, spoke candidly on the Club Prairie podcast with Michael Vaughan and Adam Gilchrist. He disclosed concerns about fitness management during the previous tenure under Mickey Arthur and Grant Bradburn, alleging that there was a lack of emphasis on fitness ahead of the ICC World Cup 2023.
Hafeez mentioned that he became aware, through the team’s trainer, that the management, including Babar Azam, discouraged stringent fitness regimes. He recounted an incident where he suggested the trainer resign if unable to enforce fitness standards, only to be informed that the trainer was adhering to management directives. Hafeez attributed this approach to player fatigue during the Australia Tests.
“When I retired from this team, I ticked all the boxes of fitness. If I could do it at the age of 41, then why can’t the others? As I joined the team as Director, I noticed the fat percentage of the players had gone up, and the running ability went down. I asked the trainer what had happened. Why the players aren’t able to go through the tests?
“He revealed a very shocking fact that the last management, comprising Mickey Arthur, Grant Bradburn, and Babar Azam, asked him to put the fitness equation out and let the players play how wanted to play till the World Cup 2023. I was like, why didn’t you resign straight away if you feel like someone is asking you not to do your job?
“Just say that this is not the way to deal with international cricketers, so he said, I can’t do anything because at that time, whatever management said to me, I followed their directions. That was why we were struggling in the final innings of the Test series against Australia. We looked fatigued because we were missing that fitness level,” Hafeez stated.
Salman Butt strongly criticized Mohammad Hafeez for his recent remarks. Butt rebuked the former team captain, asserting that if there were issues, Hafeez, as Director of the team, had the responsibility to address and rectify them. He condemned Hafeez for disparaging the team instead of taking action to improve conditions. Speaking on Sports Trend, Butt elaborated:
“Okay, I don’t know, I wasn’t with him. Maybe he’s right. But who was going to ensure this? This is the same thing, that you file a complaint at your house after coming out. You’re the team director. Okay? You’re the one who’s going to hire people. You hired such a person as a coach, you put such a person on the tour, who might have never been there on his own. You did all that. You couldn’t take the fitness test. What kind of helplessness is this? Call it helplessness, call it incompetence, or call it your lack of control, or a question mark on your leadership.
“They’re your contemporaries, they’re juniors to you. You couldn’t take the test from them. And now you’re saying, Adam (Gilchrist), look, I wanted this. So look, they didn’t listen to me. And look, they don’t listen to me. I was the team director. For God’s sake. What are you trying to say? Will you consult yourself first if you want to talk or not? No one listened to me. As long as someone doesn’t fire you, no one leaves a job for you. Okay? And then you make such complaints. You go to the fourth world and say, this is what was happening. So look, they didn’t listen to me. So then you say there, they don’t listen to me, I’m coming back.”
Salman Butt concluded by pointing out the perceived hypocrisy in Mohammad Hafeez’s stance on Mohammad Amir. Butt highlighted that while Hafeez had no issue selecting Amir when he was involved, he now criticizes others for doing the same. Butt emphasized:
“Or give me so much power, or give me so much backing. You’ve put your will everywhere. So I do not know what to agree with and what to not agree with. Now, when someone else picks Amir, it’s a sin, but when he picks himself, it’s permissible. If he becomes a coach, then it’s permissible for him to come. If he doesn’t come, then it’s not permissible for him to come,” he concluded.
