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Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt has strongly refuted the accusations made by journalist and filmmaker Mubashir Luqman against current skipper Babar Azam. Luqman’s allegations emerged following Pakistan’s premature exit from the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2024. The senior anchor directly accused Babar of allegedly accepting substantial gifts in exchange for manipulating match outcomes in the ongoing tournament and other matches.
Luqman’s claims surfaced after Pakistan’s unexpected losses to the USA and a narrow win over Ireland in Group A matches, leading to their early elimination from the T20 World Cup 2024. In a recent video shared on social media, Luqman alleged that Babar received an Audi E-Tron as a gift from his brother, purportedly linked to individuals connected with betting activities. Furthermore, the journalist asserted that the Pakistani captain had acquired properties in Australia and New Zealand under questionable circumstances.
Check out Mubashir Luqman’s explosive allegations here:
The allegations have sparked a contentious debate within the cricket community, eliciting varied responses from fans and former players due to their gravity. In response to Mubashir Luqman’s accusations, Salman Butt has come to Babar Azam’s defense, dismissing the claims as unfounded.
Butt emphasized that Babar, as a prominent figure in sports, could naturally receive such gifts considering his significant contributions to Pakistani cricket. Speaking during a recent appearance on a local television channel, Butt addressed the match-fixing allegations surrounding Babar.
Salman Butt came to the defense of Babar Azam amidst allegations of match-fixing, highlighting Babar’s stature as one of the world’s top batsmen. Butt acknowledged the intense criticism Babar and the team faced following their disappointing performance in the T20 World Cup 2024, dismissing the match-fixing accusations as absurd.
However, Butt’s comments took an unexpected turn when he suggested that it was commonplace for players of Babar’s caliber to receive extravagant gifts such as Audis and properties. He likened Babar casually discarding his sweat on the ground due to his substantial earnings, arguing that given Babar’s wealth and prominence, receiving high-value gifts like luxury cars worth millions from showrooms should not raise suspicion.
Salman Butt said on a local TV channel: “We are talking about a person, who is one of the best batters inthe world. It’s okay if he played badly, it’s okay if our team played too bad cricket. We have already criticized those poor guys a lot.
But you mentioned materialistic, Audi, house, here and there. This is like when Babar Azam wipes off his sweat and throws it on the ground. He earns so much money which is top level. If he goes to a showroom, he will easily get a car worth 1-2 crores as a gift.”
Reports indicate that Babar Azam is considering legal action against senior journalist Mubashir Luqman following his recent controversial allegations on social media.
