Former Pakistan Captain Salman Butt has hit back at the scrutiny surrounding Pakistan’s Test side after their innings defeat to England at Headingley, challenging both the severity of the criticism and comparisons with previous generations of Pakistan teams.
The backlash followed a damaging start to the three-Test series for Pakistan, with The Telegraph describing the tourists as their worst team in 50 years. Former England Captain Michael Vaughan called them the weakest Pakistan side to have toured England, while former England Fast Bowler Stuart Broad labelled the team “poor.”
Butt challenges criticism of Pakistan
Speaking in a conversation with Ch. Irfan Zaheer on Pavilion Post, Butt addressed the assessments being made of the current Pakistan side. He said: “The things being said, the way The Telegraph wrote that this is the worst-ever team in the last 50 years and some of their players have also made similar statements.”
Pakistan entered the series without presenting themselves as one of the leading teams in Test cricket, but the scale of the reaction to their opening defeat drew a pointed response from Butt. He continued: “The point is, we never said that we are world champions. We never said that we are a great team, nor did we make any big claims about ourselves. But we did say one thing… what do you people think? Our team may be whatever it is, even it is the worst ever, but it is still our team.”
Salman Butt takes another dig at English media
“We never claimed to be a big team. At least our team is its own—not a Commonwealth side assembled from six different countries, with captain from Ireland and players from Scotland, South Africa or someone who played for WindiesU19” https://t.co/PdJN9AHLQ3 pic.twitter.com/XjVnSmxdWV
— Pavilion Post (@CricinsightsX) August 24, 2026
Butt then shifted his argument towards the backgrounds of players who have represented England. He said: “It is not a Commonwealth team. It is not a team where the captain is from Ireland, the wicketkeeper is from South Africa, the middle-order batsman is from South Africa, one player is from Scotland, another is from Australia, and someone else is from the West Indies Under-19 team who has been picked and placed here.”
His response continued by contrasting that composition with his view of Pakistan’s national side. Butt added: “This is our team. It is not a team made up of players from here and there. If there is any doubt about that, go and check it.”
He also placed Pakistan’s current struggles within the broader fluctuations teams can experience over time. Butt noted: “This is not some team made up of six different countries coming together to play. Teams go through phases. Sometimes teams don’t perform well.”
Headingley defeat puts Pakistan under pressure
The criticism followed an emphatic England victory in the first Test, which ended inside three days. Pakistan lost by an innings and 103 runs, leaving England 1-0 ahead in the three-match series.
After England established a 238-run first-innings advantage, Pakistan were bowled out for 135 in 37.3 overs in their second innings. Mohammad Rizwan led the tourists with 41, while England’s pace attack controlled the match.
Ollie Robinson and Josh Tongue each collected eight wickets across the Test, finishing with match figures of 8-80 and 8-89 respectively, while Jofra Archer dismissed both Pakistan openers in the second innings. Robinson was named Player of the Match.
The victory also represented a successful start to a new phase for England following Ben Stokes’ retirement and Brendon McCullum’s departure as Test coach.
England Test Captain Joe Root told BBC Sport: “Brilliant performance,” before adding: “You look at the prep we had leading in, coming straight from the Hundred, the fact we’re in a slight transition stage. I thought the way that we dealt with all of that, the clarity and the way the guys approached this week has been outstanding.”
Broad stands by Pakistan assessment
Despite criticism from Pakistan supporters, Broad has not softened his assessment of the tourists. Speaking on a podcast alongside former England Captain Jos Buttler, the former England Fast Bowler said: “I don’t know what we can really know about this team, but, as I said on the last podcast, I got a little bit of stick from some Pakistan fans. Pakistan are a poor side and England should win this series 3-0. If they don’t, it would be an absolute disaster.”
Broad also compared the current attack unfavourably with Pakistan pace units of the past. He identified Mohammad Abbas as Pakistan’s leading bowler and someone capable of making most Test teams, while assessing Mohammad Ali and Khurram Shahzad as less threatening than the fast bowlers historically associated with Pakistan.
With England already holding the advantage in the series, Broad maintained his expectation of a clean sweep. He added: “I haven’t changed my opinion on that at all. England should win this Test series 3-0, they’ve simply got a stronger side.”
Pakistan now enter the remainder of the three-Test series attempting to respond on the field after a Headingley defeat that has generated scrutiny well beyond the result itself.
