Former Pakistani player Salman Butt thinks the umpiring standards at the current 2023 World Cup leave a much to be desired.
Butt emphasized that there had already been a number of controversial rulings in the championship match. This, according to the former Pakistan opener, shouldn’t be the case in a competition of this caliber.
Salman Butt said in a video posted on his YouTube channel:
“The umpiring hasn’t been up to the mark in the World Cup—very pathetic decision-making. The likes of David Warner and Jonny Bairstow got marginal decisions. During the India-Pakistan game, Mohammad Rizwan was given out; luckily, he took a review, and the decision was overturned. Then, Babar Azam could have been given out in that match, but he survived. There are no world-class umpiring standards.”
Salman Butt
Salman Butt unhappy with Mickey Arthur’s ‘unprofessional’ outburst after India thrash Pakistan
On October 14, India defeated Pakistan at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad by a humiliating seven wickets. They were bowled out for just 191 runs in the first innings, which the Men in Blue had little trouble chasing down.
Mickey Arthur, the team director for Pakistan, voiced his disappointment with the Men in Green’s lack of fanfare after the team’s defeat. He said during the post-match news conference that it didn’t appear to be an ICC event match.
Salman Butt, however, said that Arthur had to refrain from saying things like that and need to encourage Babar Azam and company instead. He said:
“That was totally uncalled for and unprofessional. It was something that was beyond his control and something he should be the last person to be worried about. His job is to motivate players, irrespective of the circumstances. It won’t have a good effect on the team if he makes such statements.”
Salman Butt
Pakistan is presently ranked fourth in the 2023 World Cup points standings with two victories out of three games.