Former Pakistan cricketer Salman Butt has criticised India’s decision to withdraw from the match against Pakistan Champions, which was scheduled for Sunday, July 20, 2025, in Birmingham as part of the World Championship of Legends (WCL) 2025.
While speaking on his YouTube channel, Butt said that India should make a promise not to face Pakistan in any ICC tournaments, not even in the World Cup. “The whole world is talking about them. What message have they sent to cricket as a whole and to the fans? What are you trying to show? What are you trying to prove? Now don’t play in the World Cup…don’t play against us in any ICC tournament. Make this a promise,” he said.
Butt also questioned who is making these decisions. He feels that the choices of a few cricketers who refused to play may have created passive pressure on others who might have wanted to take part in the match.
“What is this mindset? I just can’t understand. Who is making this decision? Those 4-5 people who decided not to play, because of them, others, who probably had the mindset to play, felt pressured,” Butt added.
Shikhar Dhawan, Harbhajan Singh, Yusuf Pathan, and Irfan Pathan are among the players who refused to take part in the match. Their decision appeared to come after public backlash in India following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.
However, Salman Butt’s criticism feels misplaced, given his own history with spot-fixing that once let his country down. While everyone is entitled to an opinion, hearing lessons on commitment and conduct from someone who broke the game’s trust does raise eyebrows.
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