acewings
Tape Ball Star
- Joined
- Jun 25, 2010
- Runs
- 683
Pakistan didn't lose the 2010 T20 semi-final in the final over. They lost it in the first. Getting a first ball duck in T20I's is perfectly acceptable; it's actually quite normal. But playing out a maiden over simply has no justification. Salman Butt is as alien to T20I's as Imran Nazir is to Tests.
This is not a scathing criticism of Butt; I personally think he is Pakistan's best opener right now, and I fully support his appointment as the team's vice captain. But even Justin Langer didn't play the shorter formats. Salman Butt's style of play is very, very handy in ODI's, and perhaps essential in Tests, but counter productive in T20 cricket. Here there is no such concept as getting your eye in, or playing out a certain bowler, or keeping wickets in hand. Showing respect has no meaning in this format. Here, the norm is "to attack every delivery as [the batsman's] first priority, hoping to score multiple runs. [Ian Chappell, cricinfo blogs] With a mere strike rate of 108.2, your eventual score is only going to be 130 in 20 overs, which is nothing at all. What this means is that guy at the other end will have to provide all the acceleration, and this puts unnecessary pressure on the team. (Again, this is the equivalent of a golden duck in the other two formats.)
People could argue that hey, Butt is the guy who can rotate the strike, and not consume dot balls. His job is to hold the innings together and keep one end secure for most of the innings. However, another look at the stats and that argument falls to pieces. Butt has faced exactly 551 deliveries in 21 innings in his T20I career, which averages 4 overs, or 24 balls, per innings. His batting average is just a touch above 29. What this means is that at the end of four overs, your score is a mere 29/1, with a new guy at the crease who can't take any risks for the remaining two PP overs because to lose a second wicket would be treason. And if you lose the battle in the PP, you've more or less lost the game. And what's the point of batting through 20 overs anyway? Surely, anything Butt can do in the death overs can be bettered by the Akmals, the Afridis, and the Razzaqs?
Salman Butt is the best opener we've got, and that's why his skill, and fitness, should be preserved for ODI's and Tests where Pakistan are ranked 7th and 6th respectively. Finding a batsman who wants to just knock the stuffing off the ball and then go home is not hard to find in Pakistan; a guy who has the patience and technique to stay out there and NEVER let the team down isn't. That's why we have Salman Butt.
It's going to be a tough summer in England. Let's just do the right thing.
This is not a scathing criticism of Butt; I personally think he is Pakistan's best opener right now, and I fully support his appointment as the team's vice captain. But even Justin Langer didn't play the shorter formats. Salman Butt's style of play is very, very handy in ODI's, and perhaps essential in Tests, but counter productive in T20 cricket. Here there is no such concept as getting your eye in, or playing out a certain bowler, or keeping wickets in hand. Showing respect has no meaning in this format. Here, the norm is "to attack every delivery as [the batsman's] first priority, hoping to score multiple runs. [Ian Chappell, cricinfo blogs] With a mere strike rate of 108.2, your eventual score is only going to be 130 in 20 overs, which is nothing at all. What this means is that guy at the other end will have to provide all the acceleration, and this puts unnecessary pressure on the team. (Again, this is the equivalent of a golden duck in the other two formats.)
People could argue that hey, Butt is the guy who can rotate the strike, and not consume dot balls. His job is to hold the innings together and keep one end secure for most of the innings. However, another look at the stats and that argument falls to pieces. Butt has faced exactly 551 deliveries in 21 innings in his T20I career, which averages 4 overs, or 24 balls, per innings. His batting average is just a touch above 29. What this means is that at the end of four overs, your score is a mere 29/1, with a new guy at the crease who can't take any risks for the remaining two PP overs because to lose a second wicket would be treason. And if you lose the battle in the PP, you've more or less lost the game. And what's the point of batting through 20 overs anyway? Surely, anything Butt can do in the death overs can be bettered by the Akmals, the Afridis, and the Razzaqs?
Salman Butt is the best opener we've got, and that's why his skill, and fitness, should be preserved for ODI's and Tests where Pakistan are ranked 7th and 6th respectively. Finding a batsman who wants to just knock the stuffing off the ball and then go home is not hard to find in Pakistan; a guy who has the patience and technique to stay out there and NEVER let the team down isn't. That's why we have Salman Butt.
It's going to be a tough summer in England. Let's just do the right thing.
Last edited: