Salman Butt calls Sahibzada Farhan ‘not an international material’

Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt has strongly criticized emerging batter Sahibzada Farhan for his poor performance in Pakistan’s recent 3-0 T20I series loss against Australia.

Farhan, returning to the T20I side after nearly 10 months, failed to impress, scoring just 22 runs across three matches with a highest score of nine. His struggles against short-pitched deliveries were a major concern throughout the series, as he repeatedly got out playing the same type of shot.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Butt pointed out Farhan’s inability to adapt and adjust his technique despite being dismissed twice in the same manner.

“He was late on the ball,” Butt said. “After getting out once or twice, a batter should realize they’re struggling with a particular shot, especially in conditions like Australia, where the bounce is steep, and the ball comes on quickly.”

Butt suggested Farhan should have found ways to handle short-pitched deliveries better, such as avoiding them or guiding them to third man for a single. “If you keep getting out playing the same shot in the same way, it shows your shot selection is very limited,” he added.

The former captain used Farhan’s performance to highlight a broader issue, stating that excelling in domestic cricket doesn’t automatically mean a player is ready for the international stage.

“Not everyone who scores runs in domestic cricket is cut out for international cricket,” Butt concluded.