"Helmet Nahi Pehente The...": Ex-Pakistan Captain On How India's Earlier Pace Attack Was Not Intimidating

Salman Butt, former Pakistan captain, said that the Indian fast bowlers didn't have pace in their deliveries when Saeed Anwar and Aamir Sohail used to play for Pakistan.

Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt has claimed that batters like Saeed Anwar and Aamir Sohail used to take on the Indian bowlers without even wearing helmets. He said that the Indian fast bowlers didn't have pace in their deliveries in the past and that led to the Pakistan batters wearing only caps and taking the bowlers to the cleaners. Butt made the bold claim when asked on a show about why Shahid Afridi was not used as an opening batter in Asian conditions.

"Pehle India ki jo bowling thi usme Saeed Anwar aur Aamir Sohail jab opening jaate the wo helmet nahi pehente the... Topiyan pehen ke unko maar rahe hote the, kyuki uss samay pace nahi thi (The bowling unit that India possessed during the time of Saeed Anwar and Amir Sohail didn't have pace. This is why the two batters did not even bother to wear helmets and used to hit the Indian bowlers by wearing only caps," said Butt on Cric Bridge.

It is worth noting that India and Pakistan haven't played any bilateral series against each other since January 2013 due to the increasing political tensions between the two nations. Hence, the fans have witnessed a very less number of matches between the sides in the past decade.

Arch-rivals India and Pakistan will be meeting each other in the upcoming T20 World Cup on October 23 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The opponents recently met twice at the 2022 Asia Cup. While India won a group stage game against Pakistan by 5 wickets, the latter defeated them in the Super 4 stage by an equal margin.