Salman Butt wants Pakistan players to enjoy India game

Former skipper, who has record five centuries against them, advises side ahead of crunch clash

KARACHI: Former skipper Salman Butt, who has the most number of centuries against India for Pakistan, has urged the current crop to enjoy the game rather than take any pressure when the two arch-rivals clash on Sunday at the Edgbaston Cricket Ground in Birmingham.

“The pressure in the game against India always makes players lose their concentration, but the players need to keep in mind that Pakistan have the superior head-to-head record against India,” Salman told The Express Tribune.

Salman, who has scored five ODI centuries in 21 games against India, feels a win against India will leave the players in good stead to qualify for the semi-finals.

“If they manage to get a good start by winning against India, then that will boost them mentally for their next matches,” he said. “If you compare the teams, then the match against South Africa is actually the tougher one.”

The 32-year-old said the players need to ensure that they enjoy themselves out there in the middle, since the pressure may weigh them down if they don’t.

“They should not take any kind of pressure,” he said. “Instead, they should just enjoy the game and play like they normally do. There is of course added pressure since the entire world is watching but they must know that all of Pakistan is behind them.”

Pakistan have several new faces in their squad — with the likes of Fahim Ashraf, Shadab Khan and Fakhar Zaman all unknown commodities — but Salman feels blending youthful exuberance and experience has always been Pakistan’s modus operandi.

“India have the more experienced side but Pakistan has always gone with a combination of senior and junior players; that seems to work for them in difficult situations,” he said.

Salman added that the seniors need to step up to the plate and the juniors should be even more motivated since they can become overnight heroes. “We have number of experienced players who can guide the team to a good position during the match, while the juniors have a golden opportunity to perform against India and make a good impression in the cricketing world,” he said.

The former skipper also had words of praise for new skipper Sarfraz Ahmed. “He gets really involved in the game, which is good to see,” he said. “It is always a test of the captain in pressure matches against India but I think the whole team is with Sarfraz.”