'Suryakumar Yadav is lucky he is Indian': Former Pakistan captain on PCB's bizarre policy

Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt on Saturday criticised the Pakistan Cricket Board's (PCB) unwritten policy of not promoting players who are 30 years old or above to compete in international cricket. Butt's comment came after Indian batsman Suryakumar Yadav, who is 32 years old, smashed a record third T20I century of his career. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Butt said that Yadav is lucky to be born in India, suggesting that the BCCI doesn't discriminate against players who are above 30 years of age. 

"I was reading everywhere that he came to international cricket when he was over 30. I just thought he's lucky that he is Indian. If he was in Pakistan, he would've been a victim of the over-30 policy (there were reports that the Ramiz Raja-led PCB didn't allow players who are 30 or above to play for the national team). Those who are on the team, are fine. Those who aren't, don't have a chance. Suryakumar broke into the team when he was 30. So, his case is different," Butt said on his YouTube channel.

Yadav made his international debut for India in 2021 at age of 31. Since then, he has played 16 ODIs and 45 T20Is for the Men in Blue. Yadav's record in T20Is is phenomenal as he has scored 1578 runs at an average of 46.41, including three centuries and 13 half-centuries. He has a strike rate of over 180 in the shortest format, the highest for any player from ICC full-member nations. Yadav has scored 384 runs in ODIs at an average of 32.00, including two fifties. 

Yadav continued his good form from 2021 and 2022 into the new year as he scored a century in the third and final T20I against Sri Lanka on Saturday to help his side win the match and secure the series 2-1. 

Regime change in PCB

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Cricket Board witnessed yet another regime change last month after Najam Sethi replaced Ramiz Raja as the new PCB chairman. As soon as taking over the role, Sethi sacked the old senior men's selection committee, including the chief selector Mohammad Wasim. Sethi has appointed a new selection committee with former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi as its new chief. Sethi also scrapped Raja's dream project, the Pakistan Junior League. 

Image: AP