Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt has lashed out at the fans and experts who suggested that Afghanistan were motivated to do well at
the 2024 T20 World Cup due to the suffering the country has faced. He cited that nations like India and Australia don’t have such problems, yet they have been consistent with their performances. Butt Also mentioned that the passion of the Afghan players alone isn’t enough for a World Cup victory as well.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, he said: “What are the Pakistani players saying? They say Afghan players get motivated by being reminded of the conditions in their country. However, Australia have no such issues, so why do they win everything? India’s conditions are also good, but they are still very consistent. Did they fight a war to ensure their team plays well? It is fine to a point. I understand that they come from difficult conditions and are passionate about the game, but that’s about it. You cannot become world champions just on this basis.”

However, Afghanistan beat strong teams like New Zealand and Australia at the recently concluded 2024 T20 World Cup. They made it to the
semifinals, where they faced a nine-wicket loss to South Africa as well. Butt also suggested that Afghanistan didn’t deserve to win the tournament. On the other hand, Pakistan also suffered a group-stage exit at the 2024 T20 World Cup. And, Salman Butt added that they
should focus on their mistakes instead of talking about what worked in Afghanistan’s favour.

“I heard someone say that Afghanistan should have won. How will they win with just two batters? There’s nobody after their openers and people said they should win the World Cup. What’s this logic? Winning two matches doesn’t mean that you have a complete team,” Salman Butt concluded. “Afghanistan have played magnificent cricket and have stuck together. But if Pakistan couldn’t do that, it’s their failure and not Afghanistan’s achievement. If Pakistan had done that, they surely would have won. You should speak about what went wrong for you, but you get everything else part from the real answer.”