'He proved fitness, ran on the field and scored runs' - Salman Butt on Babar Azam's fitness concerns

Pakistan are gearing up for a two-Test match series against Bangladesh, starting August 21. Former captain Salman Butt recently has come to the defense of star batter Babar Azam's fitness concerns.

The upcoming series will see a shift in Pakistan's batting order, with Azam set to bat at number four. This change comes after Pakistan's disappointing performance in the T20 World Cup 2024, which sparked criticism of the team's fitness levels. Butt strongly defended Babar's fitness and performance. 

"Babar Azam scored truckloads of runs in the last 2 years, he proved his fitness, he ran on the field, and scored runs while batting first as well as second innings. Things should go up but they are getting broken in the middle, which is wrong. So, this is the responsibility of the players to maintain their fitness," Azam said on his official YouTube channel.

Also read: Second Pakistan versus Bangladesh Test shifted from Karachi to Rawalpindi

Entire Pakistan is talking about the fitness of the team: Salman Butt

Following the T20 World Cup debacle, fitness became a national talking point, leading to increased pressure on players at all levels. Butt's most pointed criticism was towards those who are working behind the scenes.

"Entire Pakistan is talking about the fitness of the team and it brought a storm in Pakistan, players at the junior level were asked to run. This came after people said players weren't fit in the T20 World Cup 2024. No one questioned the physios or trainers, but instead, they started making players at the district level push hard for fitness. Those who made errors are still there," he added.

Also read: Kamran Akmal criticizes PCB for hosting second Test against Bangladesh without spectators

The series against Bangladesh is set to begin at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium and will be Jason Gillespie's first as Pakistan's Test coach. 

Pakistan squad for Test series: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel, Aamir Jamal (subject to fitness), Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Muhammad Hurraira, Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed, and Shaheen Shah Afridi.