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Former Pakistan player Salman Butt recently stated that West Indies batter Shai Hope must improve his strike rate in white-ball cricket. He opined that the right-hander has failed to up the ante on several occasions.
Butt believes that despite scoring a century in the second ODI against India, Shai Hope proved to be a disadvantage for his side. He added that scoring 115 runs off 135 deliveries is not acceptable in batting-friendly conditions.
The 37-year-old pointed out how the batter had an underwhelming strike rate when West Indies toured Pakistan earlier this year. Butt made these remarks while speaking on his YouTube channel on Monday.
He stated:
“If you play 135 balls and score 115 runs, you are being a disadvantage for your team, and that too when the wicket is very good for batting. His knock is not justifiable in such batting conditions. He does play beautifully, but his strike rate isn’t ideal. That was the same case when West Indies came to Pakistan too.”
Shai Hope stitched together a 117-run partnership with skipper Nicholas Pooran in the fixture. However, Butt highlighted that the two batters slowed down during the middle overs and weren’t able to accelerate at that crucial juncture.
He added:
“Shai Hope and Nicholas Pooran scored big runs for West Indies. But they played quite slowly during the middle overs and didn’t take enough chances. The Indian bowlers bowled well during that time, but when there are two set batters, you have to keep the scoreboard ticking.”
After electing to bat first at the Queen’s Park Oval on Sunday, July 24, the hosts posted an impressive total of 311. The Indian batters did an exceptional job of chasing down the stiff target with two wickets to spare in the final over.
“Very difficult to win matches if you bowl like this against a team like India” – Salman Butt on the bowling performance of West Indies
The former Pakistan captain spoke about how the West Indies bowlers struggled to get their lengths right during the death overs. He mentioned that none of the bowlers were able to bowl yorkers in the final overs.
Butt suggested that a team cannot make such mistakes when you are up against an opposition like India. He reckoned that the bowlers looked clueless and kept on giving loose deliveries.
He explained:
“West Indies bowlers weren’t able to hit the right areas during the death overs. They couldn’t bowl the yorkers during that period. Their performance in the final overs was very disappointing.
“It seemed like they didn’t have any idea how to bowl during the death overs. They kept bowling a lot of length deliveries and full-tosses. It’s very difficult to win matches if you bowl like this against a team like India.”
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With their thrilling two-wicket victory, India have now gained an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. West Indies will be looking to salvage some pride by claiming a consolation win in the final game of the series on Wednesday, July 27.
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