Having helped Pakistan fight back from a position of little hope to onefrom where they can at least attempt to win, Salman Butt can bejustifiably proud of his contribution to this turnaround
Cricinfo staff15-Nov-2005
‘I thought about my [first innings] dismissal a lot and the senior players also spoke to me…they said I should have just tried to stay at the crease which I did this time round’ © AFP
Having helped Pakistan fight back from a position of little hope to onefrom where they can at least attempt to win, Salman Butt can bejustifiably proud of his contribution to this turnaround. He went a fewsteps better than his first-innings 74 with a career-best 122, the secondcentury in a seven-Test career, to set up a fascinating final day withEngland chasing a further 174 runs – and Pakistan, nine wickets.Speaking to BBC Sport Urdu, Butt said of his innings: “I am glad that theinnings came when the team needed it most. The effort will only be goodthough if we can win the match tomorrow. In the first innings, I should’vetimed the shot that I got out to instead of trying to hit it so hard. Ithought about my dismissal a lot and the senior players also spoke to me.Like in the second innings, they said I should have just tried to stay atthe crease which I did this time round.”The dismissal of Inzamam-ul-Haq, which ended his 135-run partnership withButt and precipitated a collapse of seven wickets for 75 runs, meant therewas more pressure on Butt to continue his innings. “My plan then was just to stay, butI had a little lapse in concentration and the ball from Hoggard justkicked up a little and caught the edge. But we will try our best now tobowl them out tomorrow.”His maiden century was made against an equally accomplished attack inSydney last year, although Butt said this innings gave him moresatisfaction. “I think the team needed this innings more. The Sydneycentury was in the first innings and, although I am very proud of thatinnings, I think most players will agree that scoring in the secondinnings is always more important. Mostly it was important today becausethe team really needed it.”His performance was also significant because it came in the wake ofPakistan’s much-publicised problems with finding a settled openingcombination. Butt himself was dropped during the India tour early thisyear after playing in the first Test at Mohali. On his recall to the sidein the Caribbean, he was again dropped after failures in the first Test, amove which prompted the panic about Pakistan’s lack of openers.”Every player is under pressure when they don’t perform and it is the samefor me. But the senior players in the team and the management backed me,saying that this happens to everyone. For batsmen, failure is only ever amatter of one ball. Now I just want to solve the problem we have with ouropening by scoring as many runs as possible for Pakistan, for as long aspossible.”