Salman Butt hits back at Stuart broad over ‘Poor Pakistan’ remark, questions England’s away record

Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt has strongly criticised former England fast bowler Stuart Broad for describing Pakistan as a “poor”

Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt has strongly criticised former England fast bowler Stuart Broad for describing Pakistan as a “poor” cricket team, arguing that such comments reflect an unnecessary sense of superiority within English cricket.

Broad recently made the remarks while discussing England’s upcoming Test series against Pakistan. During a podcast, the former England pacer labelled Pakistan a weaker side and suggested that England would be expected to win the series comfortably.

Broad said Pakistan were currently a weaker team and argued that England would consider it a major disappointment if they failed to secure a series victory. He also suggested that England should be capable of completing a 3-0 series win without facing significant difficulty.

Butt, speaking on his YouTube programme, questioned Broad’s assessment and challenged him to consider England’s own performances in overseas Test cricket. While acknowledging that Pakistan have not been performing at their best, Butt argued that calling an international side “very poor” was disrespectful, particularly coming from a former international player.

Butt specifically pointed towards England’s record in the Ashes series in Australia. He questioned why England should consider themselves significantly superior when their performances against Australia away from home have frequently been disappointing.

“Pakistan isn’t playing good cricket at the moment, but what is this ‘poor team’ comment?” Butt said, while questioning the basis for Broad’s assessment. He also pointed to England’s struggles in Australia and argued that the team has faced heavy defeats there in the past.

The former Pakistan captain also recalled the strength of Pakistan’s bowling attack during the 1990s. According to Butt, Pakistan had a formidable group of fast bowlers during that era, while England’s bowling resources were comparatively less threatening.

Butt argued that despite Pakistan’s dominance in certain periods, Pakistani players and officials did not publicly describe England as a “very poor team” when the two sides faced each other.

The former captain went further by accusing Broad and, more broadly, sections of English cricket of displaying what he described as a “superiority complex”. Butt said England should examine their own performances, particularly in overseas conditions, before making dismissive statements about other teams.

However, Butt did not completely defend Pakistan’s current Test setup. He admitted that the country’s cricket structure needs significant improvement and that the national team must produce better results in the longest format of the game.

He agreed that Pakistan have not delivered the level of Test cricket expected from them and said there was no denying that improvements were required within the system. Nevertheless, he questioned why an experienced former international cricketer such as Broad would choose to use such strong language when discussing Pakistan.

Butt also reminded Broad of England’s previous tour of Pakistan, where England failed to achieve the result they would have expected from a supposedly superior side. He suggested that past performances should also be considered when evaluating the strength of an opponent.

The exchange has added another layer to the discussion surrounding the upcoming Test contest between Pakistan and England. While Pakistan will be under pressure to improve their performances, Butt’s response has made clear that he believes the team should not be written off before the series begins.

The former captain’s comments also highlight the competitive rivalry between the two cricketing nations, with both sides carrying expectations and pressure ahead of their Test encounters.