NEW DELHI: The strike-rate debate surrounding
Virat Kohli
and other batters in T20Is refuses to die down, with former Pakistan opener
Salman Butt
taking a hilarious dig at the critics who lack significant experience in international cricket but still feel compelled to comment on the strike rates of players.
Both Virat Kohli and Pakistan captain
Babar Azam
have faced criticism from experts for their slow strike rates.
Kohli, in particular, was heavily criticised for his strike rate during the first half of
IPL 2024
.
"Strike rate is the result of a process and that process is to bat according to merit. After playing for a long time, a batter has an answer to every delivery and that becomes a part of their muscle memory. But people who don't have an average of 30 in international cricket and have never played outside Asia are speaking about strike rate," Butt said while speaking on a show.
"Babar is absolutely right in saying that neither can he bat like Saim, nor can Saim bat like him. Babar is the one who will score on nine out of 10 occasions, exactly what Kohli does for India. Aap chahe Kohli dance kare, Babar dance kare toh Michael Jackson lage, gaana gayein toh Noor Jahan lage, ye nahi ho sakta," Butt added.
Pakistan, the 2009 champions, have demonstrated remarkable consistency in the T20 international arena. They have reached the semi-finals six times out of the eight editions of the event.
In 2007, they finished as runners-up, and recently, in 2022, they faced defeat against England in the final.
"In the final, Shaheen's injury was impactful because at that time, the pressure was on them (England). We were forced to give an over to a spinner and that made a difference," Babar had said on a Pakistan Cricket Board podcast.
"Our performances in the last two T20 World Cups have been good. Unfortunately, we could not finish on a high. We were also runners-up in the T20 Asia Cup 2022. So, at the back of our minds, we are thinking about how we have played two finals and a semi-final and how we can overcome the mistakes that derailed our campaigns," Babar added.
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