Shadab Khan’s role in Pakistan team under scrutiny after T20 World Cup exit

Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt criticized the team management for including Shadab Khan in the T20 World Cup 2024 despite his limited bowling, instead of other leg-spinners in the country.

Following Pakistan's early exit from the tournament, Butt expressed his frustration, noting that Shadab bowled only 4 overs twice in 2024.

He accused the management of lacking common sense and ignoring top-performing leg-spinners Usman Qadir and Usama Mir.

"I am concerned about Pakistan lacking common sense. Shadab had just bowled 4 overs twice in 2024 before the World Cup. We keep calling him a package without defining his role. We don't work with the best match-winning leg spinners in Pakistan, Usman [Qadir] and Usama Mir despite their domestic performances," Butt said.

Butt emphasized the importance of specialist bowlers in T20 cricket, citing successful examples like Kuldeep Yadav, Adam Zampa, Adil Rashid, Keshav Maharaj, and Tabraiz Shamsi.

"We kept searching for packages and kept compromising with bits and pieces cricket. Specialists are important in T20s. Look at Kuldeep, Zampa, Adil Rashid, Keshav Maharaj, and Shamsi. They don't bat a lot but they are match-winners with the ball. We don't use our brains," he concluded.