Salman Butt slams Hafeez, backs Babar Azam amid match-fixing allegations

Former Pakistan cricketer Salman Butt has voiced strong support for Babar Azam amidst the match-fixing allegations and criticized Mohammad Hafeez for his statements during a podcast with Michael Vaughan and Adam Gilchrist.

In a recent interview on a local YouTube show, Butt highlighted the popularity of Babar's brother's vlogs, emphasizing that Babar's decision to send out legal notices against those spreading false information was justified.

"If we are talking about YouTube and views, Babar Azam's brother has more views in his vlogs. If it's all about earning money, he has more views. Babar has done the right thing by sending out legal notices, and he should hold these people accountable for how they spread this information. As for the car (Audi), it is not difficult for him to get one, given his position. He does ads worth half a million dollars and is a brand ambassador for many products, so he can get such a car morning, noon, or evening," Butt said.

Expressing his discontent with Hafeez's approach, the former skipper argued that Hafeez should have addressed these issues during his tenure instead of bringing them up on an international platform.

He further questioned Hafeez's decisions during his tenure, pointing out that he had the authority to enforce fitness tests and select the right players.

“Maybe, he is saying as it is. But whose job was it to ensure that? You are complaining about your team's matters on international platforms. You were the team director. It was your job to pick the right people,” he said.

“You picked those people who, on their own, may never be there. You didn't take fitness tests. Who stopped you? Or should I call it incompetence or lack of control? They were your juniors. You couldn't take the tests?” he questioned.

"You're ranting to Adam (Gilchrist), 'I wanted to do this and do that, but they didn't listen to me. I was the team director. For god's sake, what were you trying to do? No one leaves their job until they're sacked. Now, you go to an international platform and start complaining there. Why didn't you say that when you were here?" he added.

“Why didn't you ask for more power and backing? I don't know what to agree with or what not to. When someone else played Amir, he was a criminal. But it's fine when you call him yourself,” he concluded.