Salman Butt replied to Babar Azam’s fitness worries by saying, “He proved fitness, ran on the pitch and scored runs.”

Pakistan is preparing for a series of two Test matches against Bangladesh, which will begin on August 21. Salman Butt, the former captain, has recently defended Babar Azam, the top batter, about his fitness worries.

Azam will bat at number four for Pakistan in the forthcoming series, which will witness a change in their batting order. This adjustment was made in response to criticism of Pakistan’s fitness levels following their underwhelming performance in the T20 World Cup 2024. Butt stood up for Babar’s performance and fitness.

“Babar Azam has scored a tonne of runs in the last two years, demonstrating his physical fitness by running on the pitch and scoring runs in both the first and second innings of batting. It is incorrect that things are breaking in the middle when they should be going up. Thus, players must take responsibility for maintaining their fitness,” Azam stated on his official YouTube page.

The team’s fitness is a topic of discussion throughout Pakistan: Salman Butt

Players at all levels are under more pressure now that fitness has become a national conversation topic after the disastrous T20 World Cup. The people who labour behind the scenes were the target of Butt’s most scathing criticism.

“Junior players were required to run, and it caused a stir in Pakistan as the entire country discussed the team’s fitness. Following claims that players wouldn’t be ready for the 2024 T20 World Cup, this was asserted. Instead of questioning the physios or trainers, players at the district level were made to push themselves to the limit in order to stay fit. The people who erred are still there,” he continued.

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Jason Gillespie will be coaching Pakistan’s Test team for the first time, and the series against Bangladesh is scheduled to start at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.

Pakistan squad for Test series: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel, Aamir Jamal (subject to fitness), Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Muhammad Hurraira, Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed, and Shaheen Shah Afridi.