'If he was not disciplined, then they should have dropped him' - Salman Butt reacts to alleged altercation between Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Yousuf

Salman Butt believes that Pakistan could have handled the situation between ace pacer Shaheen Afridi and batting coach Mohammad Yousuf better. For the unversed, Shaheen and Yousuf had reportedly gotten into a war of words on Pakistan's tour of the United Kingdom ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024.

Pakistan played three T20Is against Ireland and four against England to prepare for the marquee ICC event. During a net session during the UK tour, Yousuf had apparently warned Shaheen as he was bowling too many no balls. In reply, the left-arm seamer had allegedly asked Yousuf to mind his own business.

"If the management thinks that Shaheen was not implementing the plans and was not cooperating with them intentionally, then they should have taken action. If he was not disciplined, then they should have dropped him and opted to go with some other player," Butt was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.

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Management’s job is not to complain but to take action: Salman Butt

The former Pakistan captain felt that the team management should have adopted stern measures against Shaheen to set the right example. Butt suggested that dropping the former T20I captain from the squad would have been the apt call. Instead of taking any disciplinary actions, the coaches reportedly complained to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) about the incident and this didn't sit well with the cricketer-turned-expert.

"If you gave him full opportunity despite all these issues and are now complaining, I think anybody can do that. What’s the point of appointing [big names] with hefty salaries? Management’s job is not to complain but to take action," Butt stated.

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Pakistan had a forgettable T20 World Cup campaign as they lost to the USA and India to crash out in the first round itself. The Men in Green will look to bounce back when they return to action in a two-match home Test series against Bangladesh, beginning next month. Pakistan's red-ball coach, Jason Gillespie, has hinted that Shaheen will be rested in the series to manage his workload. The 24-year-old has also been denied a No Objection Certificate (NOC) by PCB for participating in the upcoming edition of the GT20 Canada citing workload management.