'Uncalled for, unprofessional': Salman Butt questions Mickey Arthur's statements after loss to India

Pakistan faced an absolute thrashing at the hands of India in their World Cup match at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on 14 October. They were dismissed for just 191 in the first innings, a target that the Indian team chased down without fuss. After this loss, Pakistan’s team director, Mickey Arthur, expressed his dissatisfaction with the lack of support for Pakistan at the venue. World Cup 2023: News | Schedule | Results | Points table Speaking in a post-match press conference, he suggested that the match did not appear to meet the standards of an ICC event and appeared more like a match carried out by the BCCI. In response, former Pakistan opener Salman Butt said that Arthur should refrain from making such statements and should instead focus on motivating Babar Azam and his team to bounce back. Speaking on his Youtube channel, he said, “That was totally uncalled for and unprofessional. It was something that was beyond his control and something he should be the last person to be worried about. His job is to motivate players, irrespective of the circumstances. It won’t have a good effect on the team if he makes such statements.”

‘Not happy with umpiring standards’ Salman Butt was not too pleased with the umpiring standards in the ongoing World Cup. He said that there have been a number of questionable decisions in the tournament, and believed that they were unacceptable for an event of such stature. “During the India-Pakistan game, Mohammad Rizwan was given out; luckily, he took a review, and the decision was overturned. Then, Babar Azam could have been given out in that match, but he survived. There are no world-class umpiring standards,” Butt said.

With two wins from three games, Pakistan need to bounce back quickly after their drubbing at the hands of India. They will next take on Australia, and are sweating over the fitness of several key players in their camp.