Former Pakistan opener Salman Butt has doused the flames after the 15-year-old heated exchange between him and Shahid Afridi came to light in a recent interview of Shoaib Akhtar. The former Pakistan speedster recently recalled an incident which led to Afridi getting sent back to home from the camp in Abbottabad.
“Every team has at least one such incident to tell. He (Afridi) was my senior. He was not a friend but treated me well at times. We had good exchanges too. But sometimes a bit of misunderstanding happens between two players. These things should not be shared publicly,” Butt said on his Youtube channel.
Akhtar talked about the unfair behaviour that Afridi had to face as he shared the details of the incident on PTV.
“It so happened that we were returning on the bus from training and I was sitting with Salman Butt upfront. Afridi came inside and asked Butt to vacate the seat to which Talat (the then team manager of Pakistan) lost his cool and questioned why Butt should leave his seat,” Akhtar said.
“Afridi also exchanged some words with Talat. Later that night, Shoaib Malik told me that they had decided to send Afridi back home because of the incident. I then took up the issue with Talat sahab and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
“I think Shahid Afridi has written less in his book about the harsh treatment he received from senior players during his playing days. I witnessed some of it with my own eyes and totally agree with him”, he said before signing off,” the 46-year-old further added.
This is not the first time Butt's name has been associated with controversy including Afridi. In 2019, Butt alleged that he was about to get selected for the T20 World Cup 2016 in India but the former Pakistan skipper prevented it from happening.
The tainted left-handed opener has represented Pakistan in 33 Tests, 78 ODIs and 24 T20Is. He made his last international appearance in August 2010 after which he was banned by the International Cricket Council for 10 years.
